No defects were found in the fuel control switch locking mechanism of the Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft that was grounded in February this year, the government told Parliament on Wednesday. The aircraft was grounded after the pilot operating the London-Bengaluru flight (AI 132) reported a possible fault in the switch. Notably, fuel control switches on the same aircraft model are at the centre of the probe into last year’s Ahmedabad plane crash, which left 260 dead.
Fuel control switches regulate the flow of fuel to an aircraft’s engines. In its reply, the government said the inspection of the aircraft’s complete “thrust control module” was underway at a Boeing facility. “Detailed examination of fuel control switch, including structural integrity of fuel control switch detents, was carried out and no abnormality was observed,” the government said. In fact, the testing at Boeing’s Seattle facility took place in the presence of a DGCA officer, considering its sensitive nature.
The aircraft took off from London on February 1 and landed in Bengaluru safely. Upon landing, the pilot reported a suspected fault in the left engine fuel control switch. As per the complaint, the fuel switch did not lock into its “run” position after two attempts and slipped to “cutoff” when pushed down slightly. However, this anomaly did not happen on the third attempt, after which the crew completed the journey. In simple terms, if the fuel control switch moves towards “cutoff”, it leads to an engine shutdown.
The February incident renewed focus on fuel control switches on Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Air India operates the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on several international routes, including to the UK.
Follow us
