An Air India pilot has flagged a possible defect with one of the engine fuel control switches of one of the airline’s Boeing 787 aircraft, following which that specific plane has been grounded by the airline. Engine fuel control switches have been at the focus of the investigation into the fatal crash of an Air India Boeing 787 jet in Ahmedabad in June last year, with the preliminary probe report saying that the accident occurred after both engines of the ill-fated aircraft were starved as both its fuel control switches transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position within a second of each other moments after lift-off.
According to a statement by aviation safety advocacy group Safety Matters Foundation, the crew of the Boeing 787 (registration: VT-ANX) reported abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch on Monday, as during engine start, the switch failed to remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts, moving towards CUTOFF. These switches control the flow of fuel to the aircraft’s engines, and such a malfunction could lead to inadvertent engine shutdown under specific conditions, Safety Matters Foundation said. The nine-year-old aircraft was operating a London-Bengaluru flight. Sources said that the pilot reported that the left fuel control switch was slipping from RUN to CUTOFF if pushed down slightly, and was not locking properly in its position.
“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 aircraft and are involving the OEM (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,” an Air India spokesperson said.
The airline did not provide details regarding the likely defect reported by the pilot. The OEM for the aircraft is Boeing, while the fuel control switch manufacturer is Honeywell. “We are in contact with Air India and are supporting their review of this matter,” Boeing said.
What FAA said on fuel switches in 2018
In 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued an information bulletin on the potential disengagement of the switch locking mechanism on certain fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft, including those on Boeing 787s. The FAA had advised airlines to inspect the fuel control switches, but as the bulletin was advisory and not mandatory, a number of airlines—including Air India—had not done the inspections at the time. However, after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 last June, India’s aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had ordered fuel control switch inspections on almost all Boeing aircraft in India.
“The Foundation notes that this incident comes against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation into the tragic loss of Air India Flight AI171 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,” Safety Matters Foundation said. It also called for immediate and transparent disclosure from DGCA and Air India of the findings from the plane’s inspection, re-evaluation of precautionary checks of the fuel control switches, an urgent regulatory review by the DGCA, and proactive communication by airlines and regulators to pilots on this issue.
Cockpit voice recordings revealed confusion
Identifying the transitioning of the fuel control switches to CUTOFF from RUN as the reason behind the AI-171 crash, which claimed 260 lives, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report mentioned that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots was heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel, to which the other pilot responded saying he did not.
Story continues below this ad
There has been considerable speculation on whether the switches were flicked by one of the pilots—inadvertently or otherwise—or whether the transition signal to the system was due to any technical, mechanical, or software issue. To be sure, the report does not state that either of the pilots physically moved the switches, just that they transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF. The investigation into the crash is ongoing, with the final probe report expected in a few months. According to the government, all possible angles and causes are being thoroughly investigated by the AAIB.