FOUR weeks before an Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, media reports cited a safety notice issued by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) highlighting potential issues with fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft.
The CAA has now clarified that the safety notice in question — Safety Notice Number SN-2015/005 — was originally issued in 2015. The document was updated on 15 May 2025 only to change the contact email address. This routine administrative update caused the document to appear on the CAA website as if it were newly issued.
A CAA spokesperson said: “Whilst the Air India accident investigation is ongoing, we do not have any technical concern with regards to Boeing products and we do not require any additional actions from UK operators.”
According to India Today, the notice was dated May 15 and instructed operators of Boeing models including the 787 Dreamliner to assess a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Directive concerning fuel shutoff valve actuators. These valves are safety devices designed to stop fuel flow to engines.
"The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) addressing a potential unsafe condition affecting fuel shutoff valves installed on the following Boeing aircraft: B737, B757, B767, B777, B787," the CAA notice stated, according to the report.
The CAA had ordered daily checks and possible testing, inspection or replacement of affected parts. The issue drew renewed focus after India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau noted in its preliminary report that the aircraft’s fuel control switches unexpectedly moved to “CUTOFF” after liftoff, shutting down both engines.
The FAA later said the switch design posed no safety risk, and Boeing issued similar guidance. Air India replaced the Throttle Control Module in 2019 and 2023 but did not inspect the switch locking mechanism, saying the 2018 FAA advisory was not mandatory. CEO Campbell Wilson said no cause had been identified yet.
