UK Aviation Authority Investigates Air India Boeing 787 Fuel Switch Incident
The United Kingdom's civil aviation regulator has formally requested information from Air India regarding a reported malfunction of a fuel control switch on one of the airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft at London Heathrow Airport. This development follows media reports detailing an on-ground incident involving the aircraft's left engine fuel control mechanism.
Details of the London Incident and Regulatory Inquiry
According to official accounts, on February 1st, the crew of Air India flight AI-132, scheduled to operate from London to Bengaluru, observed an anomaly during pre-flight checks. On two separate occasions, when light vertical pressure was applied, the left engine's fuel control switch did not remain positively latched in the required "RUN" position. The switch subsequently latched correctly on a third attempt, remained stable, and the flight proceeded to Bengaluru as planned.
In response, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) dispatched a letter to Air India, seeking comprehensive details about the maintenance work performed on the aircraft in London before its departure. The regulator has stipulated that the airline must submit a complete response within one week, warning of potential regulatory action for non-compliance. Such information requests from foreign aviation authorities following operational incidents represent a standard international procedure aimed at ensuring continued adherence to global safety standards.
Air India's Response and Fleet-Wide Inspections
Upon arrival in Bengaluru, the aircraft was grounded for further inspection. The Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that during these checks, both the left and right fuel control switches were examined and found to be operating satisfactorily.
Air India, in a statement issued on Wednesday, confirmed that it has completed precautionary re-inspections of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) across its entire operational fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft. "The inspections were undertaken in an abundance of caution following an observation reported by one of our pilots," the airline stated, adding that no issues were identified during these checks.
The airline further acknowledged the proactive oversight of India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which conducted independent inspections and subsequently cleared the FCS systems. Air India committed to fully adhering to regulator guidance by circulating original equipment manufacturer (OEM)-recommended operating procedures related to the Fuel Control Switch to all flight crew members. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner forms a crucial part of Air India's long-haul international fleet, including routes to the United Kingdom.
Safety NGO Raises Concerns Over Investigation Integrity
In a significant development, the Safety Matters Foundation, a non-governmental organization focused on aviation safety, submitted a formal complaint to India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Wednesday. The Foundation expressed serious concerns regarding the Ministry of Civil Aviation's public statement declaring the fuel control switch component as working satisfactorily.
The NGO warned that publicly giving a "clean chit" to the Fuel Control Switch while the AAIB's investigation into the incident remains active constitutes what it termed an "institutional bypass." This action, the Foundation argued, risks contaminating potential evidence, as components and records from the AI-132 incident might be handled or altered without the strict, sealed chain-of-custody protocols required for material evidence in a major accident probe.
"Such public exoneration of a system by a regulatory body, while an independent safety investigation is underway, prejudices the investigative narrative," the Foundation stated in its complaint. "Publicly framing a potential causal factor as 'resolved' can influence witness memory, expert analysis, and the investigative focus."
Call for Preserving Investigative Independence
Captain Amit Singh, Founder-Director of the Safety Matters Foundation and a senior safety advocate, emphasized the critical importance of maintaining investigative integrity. "The AAIB's mandate is to find the cause, not to confirm pre-stated conclusions," Captain Singh stated. "When another agency publicly closes the book on a system that may be relevant to an open investigation, it doesn't just risk evidence, it risks the entire truth-seeking process. The public deserves an investigation led by evidence, not by narrative."
The Foundation's complaint outlined that these actions risk eroding public trust in aviation safety oversight. "It undermines confidence in the AAIB's statutory independence and the finality of its conclusions, which are crucial for learning lessons and restoring public faith in aviation safety," the document added.
Urgent Requests to Investigation Authorities
The Safety Matters Foundation made several urgent requests to the AAIB, including:
- Immediately taking custody of all evidence from the AI-132 occurrence under a sealed AAIB chain-of-custody.
- Issuing a preservation order directing all parties to preserve and not interfere with any related evidence.
- Publicly clarifying that its investigation remains independent and that no external statement is determinative of its findings.
- Launching an inquiry to examine whether the DGCA's communications have adversely impacted the ongoing investigation.
The Foundation stressed that these measures are essential to protect the integrity of the investigative process and ensure that conclusions are based solely on factual evidence rather than premature public statements.
