DGCA Orders Urgent Fuel Switch Inspections on Boeing 787 and 737 Fleets After Fatal Air India Crash
Photographer: Alun Morris Jones - AirTeamImages.com
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has mandated urgent inspections of the fuel control switch locking mechanisms on all Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft operated by Indian carriers, following the deadly crash of Air India Flight AI171 last month.
In an advisory issued late Monday, the regulator directed airlines—including Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet—to complete checks by July 21 and submit compliance reports to the DGCA and their regional offices. The move comes in response to preliminary findings from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which indicate that both engines on the ill-fated Dreamliner lost fuel supply just seconds before the crash.
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8, was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12 when it crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 260 passengers and crew. Over the weekend, the AAIB revealed that cockpit fuel control switches were found in the OFF position, cutting fuel to both engines nearly simultaneously.
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Perhaps most chillingly, cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking the other, “Did you shut the fuel?”—to which both reportedly responded with confusion, denying any such action.
The fuel control switches are housed in the Throttle Control Module (TCM) and are designed to regulate the flow of fuel to the aircraft’s engines. An unintended disengagement, as investigators suspect occurred in this case, can lead to immediate engine shutdown—a scenario that proved catastrophic for Flight AI171.
This incident has cast new scrutiny on long-standing concerns raised by regulators. In 2018, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) warning that inadvertent disengagement of the locking system was possible on certain Boeing 787 and 737 variants. However, the issue was not classified as a safety risk, and no mandatory airworthiness directive followed.
In the aftermath of last month’s crash, several international operators have already begun inspecting their fleets based on updated FAA guidance. The DGCA’s directive now formalizes those efforts within India, requiring local airlines to inspect and verify the integrity of the fuel control locking systems.
A senior official at the DGCA, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the inspections are precautionary but necessary: “While the investigation is still ongoing, we cannot afford to take any chances. Safety is paramount, and we’re taking every step to ensure that an accident like this never happens again.”
