AN Air India pilot on Monday (2) reported a defect with the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 plane after operating the flight from London Heathrow to Bengaluru, and the airline has grounded the aircraft for checks, according to sources.
More than 200 people were on board flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru, which reached its destination on Monday morning.
Following its arrival in Bengaluru, the pilot recorded in the defect logbook that the left engine fuel switch slipped from “run” to “cut off” and that it was not getting locked in its position.
Fuel switches regulate the flow of fuel into an aircraft's engines, and the terms “run” and “cut off” are used to start or shut down engines, respectively.
Air India on Monday said it was aware that one of its pilots had reported a possible defect in the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
“After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to get the pilot's concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA.
“Air India had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the DGCA, and had found no issues,” the airline said in a statement.
In a statement, Boeing said it was in contact with Air India and was supporting their review of this matter.
There was no immediate comment from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Fuel switches on jet aircraft are generally guarded with brackets so that there are no accidental movements.
Their functioning is in focus following the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, known as the Dreamliner, that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad last June. A preliminary report into the disaster mentioned fuel supply being cut off soon after take-off from Ahmedabad. The flight was bound for London’s Gatwick airport.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) said it has insisted on checking the electrical systems of Dreamliners after the AI171 crash.
Not-for-profit group Safety Matters Foundation on Monday said that during the operation of the flight, the crew reported abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch of the aircraft.
"During engine start, the switch failed to remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts, moving towards CUT OFF - a malfunction that could, under specific conditions, lead to an inadvertent engine shutdown in flight," it claimed in a statement.
The foundation sought re-evaluation of the precautionary checks carried out on the Dreamliners and also urged the DGCA to determine whether it was a fleet-wide issue.
Bloomberg reported last week that investigators into last year’s June crash ruled out mechanical failure and are “increasingly homing in on deliberate pilot action as the probable cause”.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash.
In its preliminary report released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off.
"In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," it had said.
Air India currently has 33 Boeing 787 aircraft.
