Another Boeing Dreamliner with fuel switch fault: Air India AI 132 grounded 

BENGALURU: An Air India flight was grounded after a fuel switch malfunctioned. The fault was detected in the fuel switch on a flight from London's Heathrow Airport to Bengaluru. The fault occurred on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The decision to cancel the service was made when the engine moved to a cutoff during start-up. The fault was detected on Air India's AI 132 flight. The pilot reported the problem after discovering the fault. The Director General of Civil Aviation has launched a detailed investigation into the incident. A few months ago, Air India flight AI 171 (a Boeing 787-8) crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick, killing 260 people in total. Preliminary reports suggest a sudden, unexplained fuel cut-off to both engines.

An Air India spokesperson said the decision to suspend the service was taken after the pilot reported the fault with the fuel switch. The airline's spokesperson said that the safety of passengers is Air India's top priority. The spokesperson added that after receiving the report of the fuel switch fault, all Dreamliner aircraft were inspected and no issue was found. The DGCA is taking this matter very seriously as it has found a similar fault to the one in Ahmedabad.

Fuel control switch is crucial

• The plane will not crash if the switch to one engine is cut off. An emergency landing can be made with the help of the second engine.
• The fuel flow will be cut off if the switch to both engines is cut off simultaneously. The plane will plummet. This is what was found to be the cause of the Ahmedabad disaster.

Switch moved by itself?

Why the switches move by themselves is creating panic. The switches are separate for both engines. These switches are designed with guards and mechanical locks, requiring them to be pulled up before being moved down, making inadvertent movement difficult. In the Ahmedabad disaster, the switch was cut off without the pilots even touching it.