In the wake of a devastating crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the airline has recently announced the successful completion of inspections across its fleet of Boeing aircraft. The scrutiny centers around fuel control switches, which have recently come under fire following the deadly accident that claimed 260 lives, including 19 individuals on the ground, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
As part of ongoing investigations, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has highlighted that just seconds before the aircraft's loss of power, the critical fuel switches that supply fuel to the engines changed position from “RUN” to “CUTOFF.” This abrupt shift led to an immediate cessation of fuel flow, causing the aircraft to lose altitude rapidly. The preliminary findings suggest that the switches altered their settings either due to accidental manipulation or intentional act, with safety experts urging thorough analysis as it appears unlikely for such switches to be tampered with without some human intervention. The engineering design incorporates locking mechanisms to avert accidental movement.
In response to the incident, India's regulatory authorities mandated all airlines to conduct checks on the fuel switches of their Boeing fleets. On Tuesday, Air India confirmed via public statement that it had completed these precautionary inspections and found no malfunctions with the locking mechanism of the switches involved in the June 12 crash of Flight 171.
The initial investigation report indicates a concerning exchange between the flight crew before the crash, with one pilot questioning the other about the fuel cutoff, to which the responding pilot claimed no knowledge of the switch’s movement. Approximately ten seconds after the cutoff, attempts to reactivate the fuel flow occurred, but unfortunately, the aircraft's descent could not be halted in time.
While the full investigation is expected to take an extended period, possibly months or even years, the headway made thus far provides a critical footing towards understanding the complexities of the incident.
