What is the story about?
The Air India flight, which experienced a technical fault similar to the ill-fated airplane that crashed last year, was allowed to operate despite the issue, raising eyebrows among experts in the aviation sector.
Aviation experts have said that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANX) met with a technical issue involving the fuel switch at London's Heathrow Airport. The flight was, however, allowed to travel to its destination, that is, Bengaluru.
Experts said that the flight should have been declared 'Aircraft on Ground' (AOG) after a fault in the fuel switch was discovered in London. Serious concerns are now being raised over the decision to permit the aircraft to operate a flight to Bengaluru despite the issue.
The flight from London at 9:19 am on Sunday (local time) and reached Bengaluru at 11:54 am on Monday (local time). Sources have told Times of India that pilots discovered an issue with the fuel switch after the plane landed at its destination, which was reported promptly, leading to the grounding of the aircraft.
During the engine start-up process, a problem was observed with the left fuel control switch. After being moved to the ‘RUN’ position, the switch reportedly kept reverting to cut-off. Under standard aviation protocols, such a malfunction warrants grounding the aircraft and conducting a detailed technical inspection.
"Left fuel control switch slips from on to cut off when pushed down slightly. It does not lock in its position," the pilot said in its report.
Experts believe that this type of fault could be linked to the electrical system, and ignoring it could pose a significant safety risk. They stress that when warning signs appear in any critical aircraft system, precautionary measures must be taken, including declaring the aircraft AOG and clearing it for flight only after a thorough investigation.
“What makes this (Monday scare) deeply troubling is not only that it happened, but that it occurred after Air India publicly stated it had conducted precautionary checks across its 787 fleet and found no issues. This raises urgent questions: Were the checks thorough? Is this a new, recurring defect? Passengers and crews deserve unambiguous answers,” Aviation safety expert Captain Amit Singh told
TOI.
Aviation experts have said that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANX) met with a technical issue involving the fuel switch at London's Heathrow Airport. The flight was, however, allowed to travel to its destination, that is, Bengaluru.
Experts said that the flight should have been declared 'Aircraft on Ground' (AOG) after a fault in the fuel switch was discovered in London. Serious concerns are now being raised over the decision to permit the aircraft to operate a flight to Bengaluru despite the issue.
What happened?
The flight from London at 9:19 am on Sunday (local time) and reached Bengaluru at 11:54 am on Monday (local time). Sources have told Times of India that pilots discovered an issue with the fuel switch after the plane landed at its destination, which was reported promptly, leading to the grounding of the aircraft.
During the engine start-up process, a problem was observed with the left fuel control switch. After being moved to the ‘RUN’ position, the switch reportedly kept reverting to cut-off. Under standard aviation protocols, such a malfunction warrants grounding the aircraft and conducting a detailed technical inspection.
"Left fuel control switch slips from on to cut off when pushed down slightly. It does not lock in its position," the pilot said in its report.
'Scary incident'
Experts believe that this type of fault could be linked to the electrical system, and ignoring it could pose a significant safety risk. They stress that when warning signs appear in any critical aircraft system, precautionary measures must be taken, including declaring the aircraft AOG and clearing it for flight only after a thorough investigation.
“What makes this (Monday scare) deeply troubling is not only that it happened, but that it occurred after Air India publicly stated it had conducted precautionary checks across its 787 fleet and found no issues. This raises urgent questions: Were the checks thorough? Is this a new, recurring defect? Passengers and crews deserve unambiguous answers,” Aviation safety expert Captain Amit Singh told
