The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have privately affirmed and issued a notification that the fuel switch locks on their aircrafts are safe, as per a report published by Reuters. This clarification comes after India’s AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) submitted its preliminary report on July 12, in reference to Air India’s AI 717 tragic crash.
According to the Reuters report, the FAA issued a Continued Airworthiness Notification on July 11 after preliminary findings from AAIB referenced to a 2018 FAA advisory about the engine fuel cutoff switches in the Air India Boeing 787-8 crash that killed around 241 passengers onboard the plane.
The AAIB report questioned whether the fuel switches might have been accidentally activated shortly after take-off, leading to the engine failure.
The United States’s aviation body, Federal Aviation Administration has explicitly stated the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature is quite similar to various Boeing airplane models and that it does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the 787.
Boeing also cited the FAA’s position in the message circulated to all Indian airlines that operate with the Boeing 787 fleet, to have the ‘fuel switch locks’ thoroughly checked and examined as a precautionary measure. The US plane maker has not recommended any additional action in response to the unfortunate incident that shook the world on June 12.
The preliminary investigation report into the crash by AAIB had pointed to a 2018 FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO), which recommended, but did not mandate, carriers operating Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the fuel switch locking mechanisms to prevent inadvertent movement. The said fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, including the B787, the aircraft that crashed.
However, the AAIB report also pointed out that Air India had not carried out the inspections recommended in the FAA’s 2018 advisory, as the directive was not deemed as mandatory.
What is the FAA 2018 Safety Alert?
The AAIB report refers to the ‘Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) No. NM-18-33’ issued by the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in Dec 2018. This clause points to the ‘potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. The FAA’s recommendation states “Inspect the locking feature of the fuel control switch to ensure its engagement. While the airplane is on the ground, check whether the fuel control switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting up the switch. If the switch can be moved without lifting it up, the locking feature has been disengaged, and the switch must be replaced at the earliest opportunity“.
This alert directive, since has not been enlisted as a compulsory step to be followed, was not checked by Air India AI 717 pilots prior to the take-off. Fuel control switches manage the fuel supply to an aircraft’s engines and are crucial during engine start-up and shutdown, both on the ground and in flight. In case of engine failure, pilots can use them to manually shut down or restart the engines.
Helene Elliott is the senior reporter for News Raise. She covers Science news. She also has a keen interest in photojournalism. Helene holds a nomination for the prestigious Red Smith Award. She is married to author Dennis D’Agostino, a former publicist with the New York Mets.
