Air Indiaon Wednesday said it has completed precautionary re-inspections of theFuel Control Switch(FCS) across all operational Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet, with no issues identified.
“No issues were identified during these checks. The inspections were undertaken in an abundance of caution following an observation reported by one of our pilots,” the airline said in a statement.
DGCA guidelines to be followed
The airline added that it will fully adhere to the DGCA’s guidance to circulate OEM-recommended operating procedures for the operation of the FCS to all crew members.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said that the fuel control switch of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, registered VT-ANX,” was checked and found satisfactory, with the locking tooth/pawl fully seated and not slipping from Run to Cutoff.”
How the fuel control switch behaves
The aviation regulator highlighted that when force is applied to the aircraft’s fuel control switch in the correct direction, “parallel to the base plate,” the switch stays secure.
However, the DGCA noted that if force is applied incorrectly, the switch can easily move from Run to Cutoff. This is because the angled base plate can slip if pressed wrongly with a finger or thumb, the regulator said.
Following an inspection that revealed no mechanical issues, the watchdog instructed Air India to strengthen crew training on proper procedures for operating fuel control switches, emphasizing the risk of unintended movement if handled incorrectly.
Air India on Monday grounded its VT-ANX aircraft after a pilot flagged a possible issue with the fuel control switch during pre-flight checks, after observing abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch.
The DGCA, in its statement on Tuesday, added that on February 2, Air India flight AI 132 from London to Bengaluru witnessed two instances of the aircraft’s fuel control switch not remaining positively latched in the “Run” position when light vertical pressure was applied.
