FAA: Boeing 787 operators need not take further action

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a formal communication to other regulators stating that Boeing 787 operators need not take any further action following the preliminary assessment of the causes leading to the crash of an Air India aircraft last month.

The report says that investigators are focusing primarily on turning on and off the fuel control switches by the pilots. It also mentions that the FAA had sent information bulletin in 2018 about the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. Air India told investigators it did not carry out suggested inspections as they were "advisory and not mandatory".

An advisory service bulletin


Safety experts though said that it had no connection to the accident investigation. FAA's advisory, reviewed by ET, was issued following such issues on 737s, a smaller model of Boeing airplanes and was never reported in any 787.

Air India also changed the switches when the airline had replaced the throttle control module twice in 2019 and 2023. In a modern generation jet like the Boeing 787, the thrust control module and the fuel control switches are physically integrated into the same quadrant unit and the replacing the module also involves replacing the fuel switches, an engineer who is certified for the aircraft said. AAIB also said that pilot have not reported any defect pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on the aircraft.

" In those six years, the aircraft underwent major maintenance checks during which it would have certainly come to the notice of the manufacturer or the operator if the locking mechanism was not functioning properly," said John Cox, chief executive of Safety Operating Systems, a firm which provides consulting services on accident investigations.

The Boeing 787 are located below the thrust lever and have safeguards like metal lock and a guard built around them to avoid any accidental switching off. Such safeguards were built by aircraft manufacturers after multiple incidents involving unintentional fuel shutoff on older generation jets.

Engineering records of the aircraft also showed no fault with any critical equipment, AAIB said. " All airworthiness directive and safety bulletins were compiled on the aircraft as well as engines," AAIB said.