Air India on Wednesday conducted a deep check of the locking mechanisms in fuel control switches (FCS) in its entire Boeing 787 fleet and did not find anything wrong, an airline official confirmed.
No Issues Found During Precautionary Inspections
“Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found,” the official said, quoting an internal message sent to Air India pilots.
The official further added that all of the Boeing 787-8 aircraft have had Throttle Control Module (TCM) replaced according to the Boeing maintenance schedule. FCS is included in this module.
The checks were made in the wake of increased monitoring after the fatal Ahmedabad flight crash last month that claimed 260 lives.
Pilots Asked to Remain Vigilant
The airline has also requested pilots to report diligently and keep watchful eyes, reporting any defect in the technical log, according to the current reporting procedure, the official said.
On Monday, India’s aviation regulator DGCA asked airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, citing AAIB’s preliminary report that fuel switches were shut off prior to last month’s Air India plane crash.
Both engines lost power nearly at the same time when the fuel control switches that control the flow of fuel to the engines moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position within one second, said the AAIB’s 15-page report issued Saturday.
Cockpit Voice Recording Reveals Pilot Confusion
“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 said.
Whereas the AAIB did not place blame or propose immediate corrective measures, it did cite a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) previously issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which reflected the continued international concern regarding the integrity of FCS lock systems.
