Following the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report into the June 12 Air India crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an urgent directive mandating inspections of engine fuel switches on Boeing aircraft registered in India.
The AAIB preliminary report into the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, reveals that both engines shut down just seconds after takeoff, causing the aircraft to lose power and plummet into the BJ Medical College hostel building. All 241 passengers and crew on board died, along with 19 people on the ground.
Citing a serious safety risk, the DGCA has ordered all Indian carriers operating Boeing 737 and 787 series aircraft to inspect the engine fuel control switches for potential disengagement of the locking mechanism—a defect flagged years earlier by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB No. NM-18-33) dated December 17, 2018.
The inspections must be completed by July 21, 2025, and airlines have also been directed to carry out any modifications required by airworthiness directives from the aircraft’s country of design or manufacture.
According to the AAIB’s 15-page preliminary report, the aircraft’s Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” nearly simultaneously, just seconds after reaching a peak speed of 180 knots indicated airspeed. Despite a brief attempt at recovery, the loss of thrust proved fatal.
