DGCA Reevaluates Fuel Switches Linked to Fatal Air India Crash, to Visit Boeing Headquarters in the US

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is stepping up its scrutiny of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. A team of safety officials is set to travel to Boeing’s headquarters in Seattle, USA, to personally monitor the laboratory testing of a fuel-control switch panel.

The sensitive testing, scheduled to begin on June 8, comes as Indian investigators finalize their report into a fatal Air India 787 crash in Gujarat last June, which tragically claimed 260 lives. Preliminary findings from that disaster revealed that the aircraft's fuel switches had been shut off almost simultaneously, instantly starving the engines of fuel and cutting off power. 

While the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) previously suggested the crash was not caused by a mechanical failure, the DGCA is leaving nothing to chance as it investigates how the switches function under unexpected physical pressure.

The upcoming laboratory probe was triggered by a separate incident in February involving an Air India London-to-Bengaluru flight. During engine start-up at Heathrow Airport, the flight crew noticed that the fuel control switches failed to stay locked in the "RUN" position on their first two attempts when light vertical pressure was applied. While the switches finally stabilized on a third attempt and the flight proceeded safely, the airline grounded the aircraft upon landing to swap out the component. 

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