The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday launched a detailed inspection of an Air India Boeing 787 after a pilot reported abnormal behaviour in a fuel control switch on one of its engines, prompting the aircraft’s grounding a day earlier. The anomaly triggered precautionary safety checks, and Air India initiated a fleet-wide reinspection of its Boeing 787 aircraft to prevent similar issues and ensure continued airworthiness. Officials said the regulator is closely reviewing maintenance records and verifying compliance with prescribed safety procedures as part of the ongoing inspection.
The aircraft commander recorded the issue in the technical log after noticing irregular operation of the left engine’s fuel control switch on the Boeing 787-8, registered as VT-ANX. Air India delivered the aircraft in 2017 and removed it from service for further checks after the log noted that the switch shifted from the RUN to CUT-OFF position when pressed slightly and failed to lock into place. Although the log reported no other defects, engineers are examining the component and related systems to identify the cause of the malfunction and assess potential safety implications.
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Fuel control switch to undergo OEM scrutiny; Boeing supporting Air India review
Officials said engineers will remove the affected fuel control switch (FCS) from the aircraft after securing the required approvals from the aviation regulator and send it to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for detailed examination. Officials added that the airline will clear the aircraft for service only after installing a replacement FCS. Sources said the switch fitted on the aircraft, which operated a London–Bengaluru flight on Monday morning, had logged around 3,500 hours of operation, well below its stated service life of up to 20,000 hours. Boeing has not issued a fresh statement, but the manufacturer earlier said it remains in contact with Air India and is supporting the airline’s review of the issue.
Following the incident, Air India ordered a precautionary, fleet-wide reinspection of the fuel control switch (FCS) latch across its Boeing 787 fleet and escalated the matter to Boeing for priority evaluation. In an internal communication to pilots operating the B787 fleet, the airline said its engineering team flagged the issue to the aircraft manufacturer for urgent technical assessment and guidance. The airline said inspections completed so far have not revealed any anomalies and confirmed that engineers have reported no adverse findings on the aircraft examined to date. Air India also emphasised that it is conducting the reinspection as a preventive measure in coordination with the regulator and the manufacturer to ensure continued operational safety.
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