Questions over whether earlier warnings were overlooked resurfaced Monday after a pilot flagged a defect in the fuel control switch of an Air India Boeing
787-8 Dreamliner, months after a similar aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad killing 260 people. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) said it has repeatedly called for checks of the electrical systems of Dreamliners following the June 2025 crash of Air India flight AI171, in which fuel supply to both engines was cut off seconds after take-off. The pilots’ body said the latest incident shows “history has repeated.” The issue came to light after an Air India pilot reported abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch after operating flight AI132 from London Heathrow to Bengaluru. Sources said that after landing on Monday morning, the pilot recorded in the defect log book that the switch slipped from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUT OFF’ and was not locking in position. More than 200 people were on board the aircraft.
Air India said it had grounded the plane for checks and informed the aviation regulator. “After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to get the pilot's concerns checked on a priority basis,” the airline said, adding that earlier checks across its Boeing 787 fleet had found no issues.
FIP said the malfunction may have occurred at Heathrow itself. “Today again history has repeated at Heathrow where the left fuel control switch was cutting off after moving the switch to run during start. Also, we have been insisting that all B-787 be grounded and checked for the electrical systems,” the pilots’ body said.
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A not-for-profit group, Safety Matters Foundation, also cited abnormal switch behaviour, saying the switch failed to remain locked in the ‘RUN’ position during engine start and moved toward ‘CUT OFF’ on two attempts — a malfunction that could, under certain conditions, lead to an inadvertent engine shutdown in flight. The group urged the regulator to assess whether the issue was fleet-wide.
Fuel control switches regulate fuel flow to aircraft engines and have guarded mechanisms to prevent accidental movement. On the Dreamliner, the switches are located under the thrust levers.
The malfunction has drawn attention because of the Ahmedabad crash on June 12, 2025, when Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s preliminary report said fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a one-second gap, leading to cockpit confusion. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
Air India currently operates 33 Boeing 787 aircraft.
