India orders airlines to inspect certain Boeing models after Air India crash

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NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s aviation regulator ordered on Monday airlines operating several Boeing models to examine fuel control switches, days after an investigation into last month’s Air India plane crash found they were flipped off, starving both engines of fuel.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated the directive would apply to Boeing 787 Dreamliners and select Boeing 737 variants and that airlines must complete inspections and submit their findings to the regulator by July 21.

A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad found that the switches shifted within one second of each other, cutting off fuel supply to both engines. The report, released last week, did not offer any conclusions as to why the plane crashed. It also did not say how the switches could have flipped from run position to the cutoff during the flight.

The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane’s engines.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed on June 12 shortly after takeoff. It killed all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.

The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, noted a 2018 advisory from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, recommending airlines operating Boeing models to inspect the locking feature of fuel cutoff switches.

According to the report, cockpit voice recordings captured a moment of confusion between the pilots, with one asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.

Some aviation experts in India speculated the crash was caused due to human error based on the preliminary report. At least two commercial pilots’ associations have rejected such claims.

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association in a statement on Sunday said it was “deeply disturbed by speculative narratives … particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide.”

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Monday said the preliminary report into the crash of the London-bound plane found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft and its engines.

In an internal memo to airline staff seen by The Associated Press, Wilson said the report stated that all mandatory maintenance tasks of the aircraft had been completed.

“There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status,” he said in the note.

After the crash, Indian authorities ordered deeper checks of Air India’s entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to prevent future incidents. Air India has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.