New Delhi: Britain’s aviation regulator has sought an explanation from Air India over how a Boeing Dreamliner passenger aircraft departed from London on Sunday even though there were concerns about a potentially faulty fuel switch and was later grounded on arrival in India, a letter reportedly says.
In the letter, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sounded a warning to the airline that it could face a possible regulatory action if it does not provide a full explanation within seven days.
On February 2, an Air India pilot reported a fault in the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft after operating the AI132 flight. The airline grounded the plane for inspection after its arrival in Bengaluru later that day.
In its reply, Air India pointed out it had re-inspected the switches as a precaution and no defects were detected. The airline said it would give a response to the British regulator accordingly.
In a statement, the CAA said it is routine for a regulator to ask for information after “an aircraft incident and is in line with safety assurance procedures”.
Detailed account demanded
As per the letter, the CAA has demanded submission of a “detailed account” of all maintenance actions carried out on the aircraft before it got nod to operate the flight by Air India. The regulator said the airline must show how it ensured the aircraft’s airworthiness before its journey to Bengaluru.
Officials added that incomplete or delayed responses could lead to enforcement action affecting parts of Air India’s fleet.
The UK regulator has also sought a “comprehensive root-cause analysis” of the incident and a “preventive action plan” to ensure similar issues across Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet do not happen.
Switch issue surfaced in London
India’s civil aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the problem first emerged during engine start procedures in London. During checks, the flight crew found that the fuel control switch did not stay locked in the “run” position on two occasions. On the third attempt, it appeared to be stable.
The crew took the decision to carry on with the flight. After it landed in India, the aircraft was taken out of service for checks. Authorities later said their inspections found the switches were functioning normally.
In an internal memo on Wednesday, Air India said it had inspected the fuel switches on all of its Boeing 787s and “no issues were found”.
Fuel control switches control the flow of fuel to the plane engines and are regarded as critical safety components. The issue has drawn more attention after it was detected that fuel switches were linked to Air India Dreamliner crash in Gujarat that killed 260 people last year.