Air India grounds Dreamliner after pilot reports possible fuel control switch defect

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• Air India grounds Boeing 787-8 after pilot reports fuel control switch issue
• DGCA and OEM notified; aircraft landed in Bengaluru from London before grounding
• Fuel control switches under scrutiny after last year's fatal Ahmedabad crash

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A Boeing 787-8 aircraft operated by Air India has been taken out of service after one of the airline’s pilots reported a potential problem with the engine fuel control switch, a component that has come under intense scrutiny following last year’s fatal crash in Ahmedabad.

The airline confirmed on Monday that the issue has been brought to the notice of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and that the aircraft has been grounded pending further checks.

The aircraft had operated flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru and landed in Bengaluru on Monday morning, sources told news agency PTI. Shortly after, the pilot flagged a possible defect in the fuel control switch.

In a statement, Air India said, "After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said 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. 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."

Background

The development is significant because fuel control switches are central to the investigation into the crash of an Air India Dreamliner in June last year. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick, crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people -- 241 on board and 19 on the ground.

Following the accident, DGCA ordered precautionary inspections of the fuel control switch locking mechanism across all Boeing aircraft in Air India’s fleet, including those operated by its low-cost arm Air India Express. No defects were detected at the time.

The crash is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

In its preliminary report released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a gap of one second shortly after lift-off, triggering confusion in the cockpit.

"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," the report stated.