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Published on 15/07/2025 - 15:09 GMT+2
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India's aviation regulator has ordered airlines operating Boeing aircraft to inspect all fuel control switches, days after an investigation into last month’s Air India crash found that they had been flipped off, starving both engines of fuel.
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated that the directive would apply to Boeing 787 Dreamliners and certain Boeing 737 variants, and that airlines must complete the inspections and submit their findings to the regulator by next Monday.
A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad found that the switches shifted positions within one second, cutting off fuel supply to both engines.
The report, released last week, did not offer any conclusions regarding the cause of the plane crash. It also did not say how the switches could have flipped from run position to the cutoff during the flight.
The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane’s engines.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed on 12 June shortly after take-off. All but one of the 242 people on board were killed, as well as 19 people on the ground.
The report, issued by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, noted a 2018 advisory from the US Federal Aviation Administration, recommending that airlines operating Boeing models inspect the locking feature of fuel cut-off switches.
According to the report, cockpit voice recordings captured a moment of confusion between the pilots, with one asking the other why he cut off the fuel.
"The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said.
Some aviation experts in India speculated that the crash was caused by human error based on the preliminary report. At least two commercial pilots’ associations have rejected such claims.
The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association in a statement on Sunday said it was "deeply disturbed by speculative narratives ... particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide."
On Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report into the crash of the London-bound plane found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or its engines.
In an internal memo to airline staff seen by AP, Wilson stated that the report indicated all mandatory maintenance tasks for the aircraft had been completed.
"There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status," he said in the note.
Following the crash, Indian authorities ordered a thorough examination of all of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliners to prevent future incidents. Air India has 33 aircraft of that model in its fleet.
