AI Boeing 787 Dreamliner grounded after pilots report defect in fuel switch

An Air India pilot has reported a possible defect in the fuel control switch of a Boeing 7878 Dreamliner prompting the airline to ground the aircraft and inform the aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA reported the PTIThe aircraft had operated flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru and landed safely in Bengaluru on Monday morning sources saidIn a statement Air India confirmed that one of its pilots had flagged a potential issue with the fuel control switch of the Dreamliner according to the PTIThe airline said the aircraft has been grounded as a precaution and the original equipment manufacturer OEM has been involved to examine the pilotrsquos concerns on a priority basis The issue has also been formally reported to the DGCAAir India said it had earlier inspected the fuel control switches across its entire Boeing 787 fleet following a directive from the DGCA and had found no issues at that time as per the PTIIncident raises safety sensitivitiesThe latest report has drawn attention due to ongoing concerns in some quarters about the functioning of fuel control switches especially in the context of the Air India Dreamliner crash in June last yearJune 2025 Dreamliner crashOn June 12 2025 an Air India Boeing 7878 operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad killing 260 people including 241 passengers It was one of the deadliest air accidents in IndiaThe crash is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau AAIBPreliminary findings of AAIBIn its preliminary report released on July 12 2025 the AAIB said that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a gap of one second leading to confusion in the cockpit soon after takeoff the news agency reportedAccording to the cockpit voice recording one pilot was heard asking the other why the fuel was cut off to which the second pilot replied that he had not done soFuel control switch issue in Dreamliner must be investigated thoroughly ExpertAccording to the ANI an aviation expert has said that the reported defect in the fuel control switch of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a highly sensitive issue that requires thorough investigation especially in the aftermath of the Air India flight AI171 crashAviation expert Harsh Vardhan said the fuel control mechanism of Boeing 787 aircraft has been under scrutiny since the crash making the latest report significant He noted that Air India has taken the correct step by grounding the aircraft and must now verify the pilotsrsquo observations by matching them with flight data recorder information and other technical recordsWATCH Delhi On an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner grounded after pilots reported a possible defect in the fuel control switch Aviation Expert Harsh Vardhan says After the Air India 171 crash the fuel control mechanism of the 787 and Boeing aircraft has come intohellip httpstcoAeNgrO1Pdd pictwittercomcnTBjdX7Mzmdash ANI ANI February 2 2026Vardhan recalled that as early as 2018 Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration FAA had issued guidelines regarding the sensitivity of the fuel control mechanism indicating that the issue is not new and needs closer attentionHe added that while there are multiple aspects under investigation in the AI171 crash a possible system malfunction linked to the fuel control mechanism cannot be ruled out According to him the exact cause will only be known once the full investigation is completedWith PTI and ANI inputs