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Check fuel switches, India's aviation regulator DGCA to tell airlines as Air India crash probe details come out: Report
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory on inspecting switches referred to various Boeing models, including 787, to prevent accidental use of switches
Airlines operating in India will have to inspect the fuel switches on their Boeing 787 fleets as the country's aviation regulatory body is set to issue an order to this effect in light of the probe report on the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The likely action by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as reported by CNBC TV18, comes as the probe report too referred to a 2018 advisory from the US regulator recommending inspections of the fuel switch locking mechanisms.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory referred to various Boeing models, including the 787, to prevent accidental use of the switches. Air India told the probe team that it had not conducted these inspections as these were advisory and not mandatory.
Also read | US regulator flagged fuel switch issues in 2018, what Air India told probe team
Air India told the probe team that it had not conducted these inspections as there were advisory and not mandatory.
The particular plane involved in the Ahmedabad crash, VT-ANB, had a clean maintenance record since 2023, details in the preliminary report revealed on Saturday. All required inspections were current, and the aircraft had valid airworthiness certificates, the report said.
The switches, and their locking mechanism, are in focus ever since the preliminary investigation the Air India flight AI171 crash said that just seconds before the plane went down near the airport, one pilot asked the other why he had cut off fuel to the engines, but the other pilot denied having done that.
It remains to be probed whether the fuel was cut off; and if so, whether it was human contact, and accident, or a mechanical or system malfunction.
Against the backdrop of the report, Etihad Airways asked its engineers to inspect the locking mechanism of the switches on the B-787 aircraft. Other airlines have started or are planning such moves.
