More airlines asked to check fuel switches on Boeing jets after Ahmedabad crash
India’s aviation regulator asks airlines to check fuel switches
- India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered airlines to inspect fuel switches on Boeing aircraft by July 21.
- This directive follows a preliminary report into a fatal Air India 787 Dreamliner crash last month, which killed 260 people after its fuel supply was cut off shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
- The report indicated that the fuel switches flipped from 'run' to 'cutoff' just three seconds into the flight.
- Although a 2018 US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory recommended inspecting these switches, it was not mandatory, and Air India had not conducted these checks.
- Despite the crash findings, both the FAA and Boeing maintain that the fuel switch design is safe and does not require an Airworthiness Directive.