Airlines start checking fuel lock mechanism in Boeing 787

Major airlines across the world have started checking the locking mechanism in the fuel switches of Boeing 787 aircraft following the initial findings in the investigation of an Air India aircraft which crashed last month.

According to engineering work instructions reviewed by ET, Etihad Airways has asked their engineers to inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel control switches in the B787 aircraft. People aware of the development said that Singapore Airlines have also started the process.

This is despite the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing telling operators of the plane that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe.

With the Boeing 787 being manufactured in the US, countries often mirror FAA standards to ensure safety, reliability, and compatibility. However, regulators and airlines can take any action they deem fit for safe operations.

Sources said that Air India or India’s civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation is examining the situation and is yet to mandate similar direction

Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel, a preliminary investigation report said early Saturday.

The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane’s engines. The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.

The fuel cut-off switches in a modern aircraft like 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 manufacturers after multiple incidents of unintentional fuel shutoff on older generation planes.

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 pilots have not reported any defect pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on the aircraft.