India’s aviation regulator has ordered all airlines operating certain Boeing aircraft to inspect fuel control switches, following preliminary findings from last month’s Air India crash that killed 260 people.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released an initial report on Saturday revealing that fuel control switches aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in the crash had unexpectedly moved from the ‘run’ to ‘cutoff’ position shortly after takeoff. The cause of the switch movement remains under investigation.
The June 12 crash, which occurred shortly after the aircraft took off from Ahmedabad en route to London, left only one survivor out of 242 passengers and crew. Additionally, 19 people on the ground were killed when the jet crashed into a residential area.
While the AAIB report did not assign blame, it noted a striking exchange between the cockpit crew: one pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel, to which the second pilot responded that he had not.
In response, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday instructed airlines to examine the locking mechanisms on fuel control switches across multiple Boeing models, including the 787 Dreamliner and 737 series.
The directive follows a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recommended inspections to ensure that fuel switches cannot be unintentionally moved.
Boeing has told operators that the existing locking systems are safe, but several Indian and international airlines have proactively begun their own reviews.
“It has come to the notice of DGCA that several operators — internationally as well as domestic — have initiated inspections on their aircraft fleet as per the SAIB,” the regulator said in a statement.
The DGCA has set a July 21 deadline for all affected Indian carriers to complete the inspections.
Meanwhile, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson urged staff on Monday not to speculate about the cause of the crash, stressing that the investigation was ongoing.
“It would be unwise to jump to premature conclusions,” he wrote in a message to employees.
