Are Boeing’s Fuel Control Switches Considered Safe by US Regulator FAA?

New Delhi, July 14 (NationPress) The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States has communicated with international civil aviation authorities, confirming that the design of the fuel control switches, including their locking mechanism, utilized in Boeing aircraft, such as the Dreamliner involved in the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, is deemed safe.

The US aviation safety authority declared that, at this moment, no airworthiness directive is necessary for Boeing operators, as reported by NDTV Profit.

Airworthiness directives are issued to enforce specific measures to be taken on aircraft or their components to rectify potential unsafe conditions impacting flight safety.

On July 11, the FAA’s notice, directed at foreign civil aviation authorities, was released following an initial investigation report regarding the AI171 crash, which involved a Boeing 787-8 and resulted in the deaths of over 275 individuals, including crew, passengers, and bystanders.

A significant finding from the preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was that both engines of the doomed flight shut down mere seconds after take-off due to a disruption in the fuel supply.

The switches governing the fuel flow to the engines shifted from 'RUN' to 'CUT-OFF', leading to the engines losing power, yet neither pilot claimed to have activated these switches.

During the cockpit voice recording, one pilot questioned the other: “Why did you cut off?” to which the response was, “I didn’t.”

The AAIB's report also referenced a 2018 FAA bulletin that had cautioned about a possible malfunction in fuel control switches produced by Honeywell, applicable to several Boeing models, including the 737 series that utilize the same switches.

The bulletin recommended that airlines operating Boeing models, including the Dreamliner, inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel 'cut-off' switches, a precaution not undertaken by Air India, as per the AAIB report.

Air India informed investigators that they did not perform the advised inspections because they were considered “advisory” rather than “mandatory.”

Examination of maintenance records showed that Air India replaced the throttle control module on the AI171 Dreamliner twice — in 2019 and 2023, although the reasons for these replacements were not associated with the fuel control switch.

The AAIB also noted that no defects related to the fuel control switch had been reported on the aircraft since 2023.

The 2018 bulletin “was based on reports indicating that the fuel control switches were installed without the locking feature engaged,” according to the FAA notice.

“While the fuel control switch design, including its locking feature, is consistent across various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not view this issue as an unsafe condition that would necessitate an Airworthiness Directive for any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787,” the FAA stated.

Upon request for a comment, the FAA indicated that they had no additional information beyond the notice.

The AAIB is conducting the crash investigation in partnership with the US National Transportation Safety Board and the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, with the FAA providing technical assistance in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation protocols.

Although the definitive cause of the crash remains unestablished, experts have raised concerns that the locking feature of the switches may have failed, potentially leading to the fuel cutoff.