New Delhi/Mumbai: India on Monday directed their airlines using some Boeing aircraft such as B737S and B787 Dreamliners to check fuel control switch locking mechanism till 21 July.Regulators and airlines from some other countries like South Korea and UAE are doing the same. In December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration released a “Special Airwriter Information Bulletin” about the possible disintegration of fuel control switch locking mechanisms on some Boeing aircraft.The instructions came two days after the release of a remuneration report of the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, which in his investigation of the 12 June AI 171 accident kept the fuel control switch center-stage in which 270 people were killed. Airlines are required to submit their inspection plans and subsequent reports to DGCA headquarters and relevant regional offices.Half of Air India’s Dreamliners approve the lock switch check The DGCA Order said that the notice of Director General of the Director General of the Director General of Civil Aviation has been noticed that at the international level as well as domestic, has started inspection according to Saib NM -18-33 on the fleet of its aircraft. The need for inspection affects a wide range of Boeing aircraft, including various 737 series, 747 models, 757 series, 767 variants and all 787 models. The order signed by Airworthiness Director RB Jamir said, “It is necessary to continue strict adherence to the timeline and ensure the safety of operations.”Air India has been learned to check half of its 33 Dreamliners over the weekend and nothing was found to be wrong with the locking mechanisms of those switches. Sources said, “When the remaining Dreamliner takes off to India or on a basis, which has engineering support, they will also be tested in the next two days.” The AI Express is also learned to check the 26 B737S and 49 B737max aircraft and found no faults on them. Dreamliner on Wistara’s wetting is not registered in India, so they do not fall under DGCA order.AI replaced the throttle control module (which home, with other things, fuel switches) in 2019 and crashed in Ahmedabad in 2023 on Dreamliner (VT-ANB). “However, the reason for the replacement was not associated with the fuel control switch. VT-ANB has not been given any defects related to the fuel control switch since 2023,” the initial report of the AAIB.The preliminary report did not recommend action for Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GenX -1B engine operators and manufacturers. “Data downloaded from further increased airborne flight recorder is being analyzed in detail … The investigation is on and the investigation team will review and investigate the additional evidence, records and information being sought from the stakeholders, “the report states.Meanwhile, news agencies reported that FAA and Boeing privately released information that fuel switch locks on Boeing aircraft are safe.This is not the first time that airlines and regulators worldwide have stepped into decision making decisions independently from FAA instructions. In 2019, a day after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashed, it was grounded by 51 aviation regulators worldwide. The regulators led by China’s Civil Aviation Administration kept the confirmation of the FAA of the B737 Max Aira FAA. Five months ago, Indonesian carrier Lion Air’s B737 Max crashed in an equal manner during the Max Tech-off. It was only after the Lion Air accident that Boeing told the airlines that it had installed an operating system on the maximum aircraft which automatically reduced the nose of the aircraft in certain conditions.
