Bengaluru: An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane was grounded at the Kempegowda International Airport here on Monday after a possible issue in the fuel control switch was detected.
Flight AI-132 was scheduled to fly from Bengaluru to London’s Heathrow Airport.
“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 OEM to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis,” stated an Air India spokesperson.
“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,” the Tata-owned airline said.
This incident immediately brought back memories of last year’s deadly Ahmedabad crash.
London-bound flight AI-171, also a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, killing 260 people, including all but one of 242 people on board.
The probe into the Ahmedabad crash pointed to a similar situation.
The preliminary report suggested that both engine fuel control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF seconds after takeoff, resulting in a loss of thrust. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot questioning the fuel cutoff, and the other denying responsibility.
