Air India crash: Boeing fuel switch under scrutiny; Was a safety alert issued weeks before by UK CAA?

Weeks before the deadly crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, British aviation authorities had issued a safety notice urging urgent checks on fuel shutoff valves in Boeing aircraft—including the 787 Dreamliner involved in the tragedy.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Safety Notice SN–2015/005, issued on 15 May 2025, advised all Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777 and 787 operators to review US FAA airworthiness directives and implement immediate inspections or replacements. It stressed the importance of ensuring compliance through either engineering teams or flight crews and mandated updates to flight operations manuals.

“The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive addressing a potential unsafe condition affecting fuel shutoff valves,” the notice warned. “Operators of Boeing aircraft should immediately make themselves aware of the relevant AD and establish whether it affects any of their aircraft.”

Less than a month later, on June 12, the London-bound Air India Dreamliner crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. A preliminary report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released this week confirmed that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other, leading to confusion in the cockpit.

“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.

The AAIB did not assign blame or suggest action, but the revelation has drawn attention to long-standing warnings. In 2018, the US FAA had also flagged possible disengagement of the fuel control switch locking mechanism on Boeing 737 and 787 models—but did not issue a mandatory directive at the time, stating the issue was not a critical safety concern.

In response to the AAIB findings, aviation regulator DGCA has ordered all airlines operating Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft to inspect the fuel switch locking system by July 21. There are over 150 such aircraft in Indian fleets, including those operated by Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, and IndiGo.

What are fuel switches?
Fuel control switches regulate the flow of fuel into an aircraft’s engines. They have two positions: RUN and CUT OFF. Located under the thrust levers in a Boeing 787, these switches must be deliberately pulled before changing position—ensuring accidental shutoffs are virtually impossible.

According to a senior pilot quoted by PTI, “The switches are guarded with brackets and have an electronic gate, so you must deliberately pull and shift it.”

In AI171’s case, investigators found that both fuel switches were turned to CUT OFF shortly after take-off. Though they were switched back to RUN, it was too late to recover.

“After rotation, the gear should be raised. It’s possible that while reaching for the gear lever, the pilot may have accidentally touched the fuel switches,” the pilot speculated, adding, “One realised it and put them back, but by then the engines had already lost thrust.”