Air India completes fuel control switch inspections, reports no faults

NEW DELHI -- Air India announced the completion of precautionary inspections of the Fuel Control Switch locking mechanisms across its Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Boeing 737 aircraft, finding no issues.

This follows a directive from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued on July 14, after a tragic crash of a Boeing 787-8 on June 12, which resulted in the deaths of 260 people and injuries to 67 others.

The inspections, which began voluntarily on July 12, were completed by the July 21 deadline set by the DGCA, in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin from the US Federal Aviation Administration regarding potential disengagement of the FCS locking feature.

The DGCA's directive was prompted by preliminary findings from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which indicated that confusion over engine switch movements led to a cutoff of fuel to the engines during the crash.

The AAIB's preliminary report, released a month after the incident, found no significant faults with the aircraft or its engines and did not recommend any immediate actions for the manufacturer or operators.