The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said inspections carried out on an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft, after a pilot reported abnormal behaviour of an engine fuel control switch, found the switches to be serviceable.
In a clarification issued on February 3, the DGCA said the aircraft operated Air India flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru on February 1. During the engine start at London, the crew observed on two occasions that the fuel control switch did not remain “positively latched” in the RUN position when light vertical pressure was applied. “On the third attempt, the switch latched correctly in ‘RUN’ and subsequently remained stable,” the regulator said.
After landing in Bengaluru, the crew reported the observation in the pilot defect report, following which Air India referred the matter to Boeing for guidance.
Based on checks recommended by Boeing, Air India engineers examined both the left and right fuel control switches. The DGCA said the locking mechanism was found to be intact. It added that when force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure. However, “applying external force in an incorrect direction caused the switch to move easily from RUN to CUTOFF, due to the angular base plate allowing slip when pressed improperly with finger or thumb”.
The regulator also said the pull-to-unlock force was checked using Boeing’s recommended procedure on the affected switch, a replacement unit, and a switch installed on another aircraft. “In all cases, the pull-to-unlock force was found within limits,” it said, adding that the inspections were carried out in the presence of DGCA officials.
The aircraft's fuel control switches came under scrutiny following the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau stated that both engine fuel control switches on that aircraft moved from RUN to CUTOFF almost simultaneously after lift-off, leading to a loss of thrust.
“The video currently circulating on social media was analysed in light of Boeing-recommended procedures, and it was observed that the procedure demonstrated in the video is incorrect,” the regulator said.
It added that Air India has been advised to circulate Boeing’s recommended operating procedure for the fuel cut-off switch to its flight crew.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had also advised operators on fuel control switch operation and inspection in a 2018 Safety Alert for Operators. The advisory called for heightened crew awareness, proper reporting of any switch anomalies, and manufacturer-recommended maintenance checks, and was later referenced in the preliminary investigation into the 2025 Air India Ahmedabad crash.
First Published: Feb 04, 2026, 13:35
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