Air India 787 fuel switch Incorrect procedure may have led to issue DGCA to look at other aspects

New Delhi/Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) Aviation watchdog DGCA's initial examination of the fuel control switch issue in one of Air India's Dreamliner has found that "apparently correct procedure" was not followed in operating the switch, and the airline has been asked to ensure that the crew follows the right procedures, according to sources.
     One of the sources told PTI that the DGCA is likely to look at various aspects related to the incident, including whether the Boeing 787-8 aircraft VT-ANX could have been grounded at London Heathrow itself rather than operating the flight to Bengaluru.
     On February 1, Air India operated the flight AI132 and after landing, the pilot recorded in the log book that the left engine fuel switch slipped from 'RUN' to 'CUT OFF' and that it was not getting locked in its position. The flight took off from London Heathrow on February 1 and landed in Bengaluru on February 2. There were more than 200 people on board.
     Subsequently, the aircraft was grounded at Bengaluru and on Tuesday, the sources said that Air India will be sending the fuel control switch module concerned for checks to the original equipment manufacturer.
     The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday issued a detailed statement explaining the sequences related to the Dreamliner, which also came against the backdrop of concerns in certain quarters on the aircraft operating the flight despite the fuel control switch issue.
     On February 1, Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner VT-ANX faced a fuel control switch issue during engine start in London.
     "During engine start in London, on two occasions crew observed that the fuel control switch did not remain positively latched in the "RUN" position when light vertical pressure was applied.
     "On the third attempt, the switch latched correctly in 'RUN' and subsequently remained stable. Before continuing with the rest of procedure, a physical verification was performed by the crew to confirm that the switch was fully and positively latched in the 'RUN' position," DGCA said in the statement.
     The regulator also said that no abnormal engine parameters, cautions, warnings, or related system messages were observed during engine start or at any time thereafter.
     "The operating crew member was briefed on the observation, unnecessary contact with the switch was avoided, and engine indications and alerting systems were closely monitored by the crew for the remainder of the flight. The flight was completed without incident," the statement said.
     'RUN' and 'CUT OFF' are used to start or shut down engines, respectively.
     The sources said that examination of the incident indicates that "apparently correct procedure" was not followed in operating the fuel control switch.
     Two senior pilots, on condition of anonymity, told PTI that the aircraft should have been grounded in London itself and the pilots should not have operated the flight to Bengaluru.
     One of the pilots claimed that pilots might have been under pressure to operate the flight and that there could be adverse consequences if they did not fly.
     On the claims, there was no immediate comments from Air India.
     The sources said the pilots who operated the flight have been derostered. Generally, derostering of pilots after an incident happens as they have to be available when the authorities concerned carry out an examination or probe to provide their inputs.
     Meanwhile, Air India is carrying out an inspection of the fuel control switches in all its Boeing 787 planes. The airline has 33 Boeing 787 planes comprising 26 legacy 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s.
     The sources said inspection of nearly half of the fleet has been completed and no issues have been found so far.
     The fuel switch control module of the VT-ANX aircraft has clocked only 3,440 operational hours and it was put in the aircraft in 2024. The total life of the module is 20,000 hours, the sources said.
     After the incident was reported, Air India's engineering team made certain observations based on Boeing recommended checks to establish the serviceability of fuel control switch, as per the DGCA statement.
     Citing the team's observations, DGCA said both the left and right switches were checked and found satisfactory, with the locking tooth/pawl fully seated and not slipping from 'RUN' to 'CUT OFF'.
     "When full force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure. However, applying external force in an incorrect direction caused the switch to move easily from 'RUN' to 'CUT OFF', due to the angular base plate allowing slip when pressed improperly with finger or thumb," DGCA said quoting the engineering team's observations.
     On the basis of Boeing's communication, DGCA said the pull-to-unlock force was checked on the fuel control switch using the recommended procedure on the involved fuel cut off switch, the fuel control unit to be installed and fuel cut off switch of another aircraft.
     The functioning of the fuel control switch is in focus following the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft that killed 260 people last June, as the preliminary probe report mentioned about fuel supply being cut off soon after take-off.
     In the statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also advised Air India to circulate the procedure recommended by Boeing for the operation of fuel 'CUT OFF' switch to its crew members.
     This came against the backdrop of a video, which the DGCA said has demonstrated the procedure for operating the fuel 'CUT OFF' switch was incorrect.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)