Seven Months After Fatal Crash, Air India Dreamliner Faces Same Critical Fuel Switch Glitch
Boeing said it is in contact with Air India and is “supporting their review of this matter."
New Delhi: In a repeat of the AI 171 crash scenario, the fuel switch of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner automatically moved from “RUN” to “CUT OFF” while it was at Heathrow Airport in London. The pilot immediately flagged the possible defect with the fuel control switch and the matter has been reported to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The plane has been grounded and a probe has been ordered by the DGCA.
The aircraft operated the flight AI 132 from London to Bengaluru, and it landed at Bengaluru on Monday morning. As per initial reports, the problem was reported after landing at Heathrow as the crew noticed unusual behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch on Boeing 787-8. During the engine start the fuel switch failed to remain locked in the “RUN” position on two attempts and on its own moved towards “CUT OFF.” This malfunction has the potential to shut down the engines, something that happened in the ill-fated AI 171 that crashed in June last year at Ahmedabad.
“We are aware that one of our pilots has reported a possible defect on the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the Original Equipment Manufacturer to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA. Air India had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the DGCA, and had found no issues. At Air India, the safety of our passengers and crew remains top priority,” Air India said in a statement.
Boeing said it is in contact with Air India and is “supporting their review of this matter."
In its preliminary report on the AI 171 crash that was released on July 12 last year, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) which is probing the crash said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was “cut off” within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off.
The pilot groups have raised a red flag on this incident that comes just seven months after the tragic crash of AI171 at Ahmedabad. They said the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America had in 2018 warned of the exact malfunctioning in Boeing 787 series and had come after Air India declared last year that its fleet-wide checks had found no such issues.
“With the tragic AI171 787 accident under investigation, this repeat failure demands immediate, transparent action from DGCA, Boeing,” said an aviation think tank and NGO named Safety Matters. “This incident comes against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation into the tragic loss of Air India Flight Al171 on 12 June 2025, which also involved a Boeing 787. While no connection is implied, the repeated emergence of issues with a critical flight control system on the same aircraft type demands the highest level of scrutiny,” the NGO added.