Air TransportAir India grounds Boeing 787-8 after pilot reports fuel switch malfunction
Air India has grounded a Boeing 787-8 after a pilot reported abnormal behavior involving an engine fuel control switch on a flight from London Heathrow to Bengaluru that landed on February 2.
According to the airline, the issue was reported after the aircraft arrived in Bengaluru. Air India said the aircraft has been withdrawn from service and that the original equipment manufacturer has been involved to examine the matter on a priority basis. The incident has also been reported to India’s aviation regulator.
The report relates to a fuel control switch, which governs the supply of fuel to an engine. Similar switches featured prominently in the preliminary investigation into the fatal crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 in Ahmedabad in June last year, in which both engines lost thrust after the switches moved to the CUTOFF position. That accident killed at least 269 people.
The February incident was publicly disclosed by Captain Amit Singh, founder of the NGO Safety Matters, who has petitioned India’s Supreme Court seeking an independent investigation into the Ahmedabad crash. In a post on social media, Singh said the crew of the London–Bengaluru flight reported abnormal behavior of the left engine fuel control switch.
According to Singh, the crew observed during engine start that the switch did not remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts and moved toward CUTOFF, a condition that could interrupt fuel supply and lead to an engine shutdown under certain circumstances.
It remains unclear why the flight proceeded if the behavior was observed during engine start, as suggested in the post. Air India said, however, that the issue was brought to the company’s attention only after the aircraft had completed the flight and landed in Bengaluru.
In a statement, Air India said: “We have grounded the aircraft and are involving the OEM to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA.”
The incident has renewed scrutiny of inspections ordered after the June crash. Following that accident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation required checks of the locking mechanism on fuel switches across Air India’s Boeing 787 and 737 fleets, with the airline later stating that the inspections had been completed.
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