[Report by Ouanzhe Net, Wang Yi] The aviation accident investigation authority (AAIB) of India recently disclosed the preliminary findings of the crash investigation into the Boeing 787 aircraft that crashed in India last month, raising public doubts about why the aircraft’s fuel switch was cut.
As the public once again scrutinizes Boeing planes with a skeptical eye, British Reuters reported on July 13 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have privately issued a notice, emphasizing that the fuel switch lock of Boeing planes is not a safety issue and there is no need to issue airworthiness directives for any Boeing aircraft model.
According to a notice released by the FAA on July 11, the agency informed global civil aviation authorities, “Although the design of the fuel control switch (including the lock function) is similar across multiple Boeing models, the FAA believes this does not constitute an unsafe condition requiring airworthiness directives for any Boeing model, including the 787 model.”
Two sources directly familiar with the situation also revealed to Reuters that Boeing had mentioned the above-mentioned decision from the FAA in notifications to airlines over the past few days, stating it did not recommend taking any action.
When asked for comments, Boeing referred the review request to the FAA. The FAA stated that aside from the notification, there were no additional pieces of information to be added, and promised to continue to report relevant information to global aviation regulatory bodies. It is reported that there are currently 1189 Boeing 787 aircraft in operation worldwide, including 171 in the United States.
On the afternoon of June 12 local time, a Boeing 787 aircraft operated by Indian Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport in Ahmedabad, western India, resulting in the deaths of more than 270 people on board and on the ground, with only one passenger surviving. This marks the first fatal aviation disaster involving the Boeing 787 model.
Both black boxes found on the aircraft have been recovered. With the assistance of teams from various countries, the AAIB is investigating the cause of the crash.
According to the preliminary investigation report released by the AAIB on July 12, shortly after takeoff, the fuel switches for both engines of the crashed aircraft almost simultaneously switched from “running” to “cut” positions, resulting in a loss of engine fuel supply and an airborne shutdown.
However, the report did not specify how these switches were being toggled during flight. Audio recordings disclosed in the report revealed that a pilot had questioned another pilot, “Why cut the fuel?” to which the latter responded, “I didn’t do that.”
The AAIB’s report also mentioned that in 2018, the FAA issued a special notice recommending the inspection of the locking devices for the fuel cut switches on multiple Boeing models to ensure they are not accidentally triggered. However, Indian Airlines responded that since this information was not mandatory but merely advisory, they did not conduct the inspection as suggested. Moreover, as mentioned in the preliminary investigation report, the throttle control components (including the fuel switch) of the crashed aircraft were replaced in 2019 and 2023.
The Hindu reported that the fuel switch for this model is equipped with a guard plate and a spring-lock mechanism to prevent accidental operation. To switch the fuel switch from “running” to “cut,” pilots need to perform two steps: first lift the switch above the metal guard plate, then pull it down.
Most experts believe that the likelihood of accidentally touching both engines’ fuel switches simultaneously is extremely low. The Indian Civil Aviation Pilots Association (ALPA India) publicly refuted the assumption of “pilot error” on July 12, calling for a “fair, fact-based investigation” into the crash. A post on social media platform X by the association highlighted that the FAA had issued recommendations in 2018 for checking the fuel control switches, indicating potential malfunctions with this component. They requested to be allowed to participate in the investigation as observers.
Two American aviation safety experts support ALPA India’s request, believing that the current published investigation report does not show any issues with pilots.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), pilots and crew members passed alcohol tests before boarding the aircraft, were in good physical condition, and had been approved for flight. The Hindu reports that since the 2023 replacement of the throttle control module on the cockpit’s fuel switch, there have been no further reports of defects in the aircraft’s fuel system.
Shawn Pruchnicki, a former aviation accident investigator and expert from Ohio State University, questioned, “Is this intentional or an accident? It seems unlikely because there were no abnormalities reported by pilots.”
He pointed out that in emergency situations, pilots might press the wrong buttons or make incorrect choices, but there was no indication of such occurrences in this incident. However, without obvious problems, such errors generally do not occur.
“This discovery is very concerning—pilot shut off the fuel switch within seconds of takeoff,” said Peter Goelz, former Executive Director of the National Transportation Safety Board. “New details indicate someone inside the cockpit shut these switches. The question is, who did it? Why? Both switches were shut down and then restarted within seconds.” Goelz believes that voice recordings will reveal more information, whether it was pilots trying to restart engines or other controllers.
Currently, the investigation team is analyzing cockpit voice recordings and other data to try to determine the cause of the accident.
The BBC also mentioned that the preliminary investigation report noted that the aircraft’s supercharger air turbine had been activated, which is a clear sign of a major system failure.
When the aircraft loses its main and auxiliary power, the ramjet can automatically unfold from the plane’s belly in an emergency, providing limited power to maintain the basic flight system.
Furthermore, the aircraft’s landing gear is found in a “down” and unretracted state. A Boeing 787 pilot explained his reason for believing that the landing gear was not retracted. He stated that the pilot had no time to think, “When both engines fail, and the plane starts to fall, your reaction isn’t just shock but numbness,” and at that moment, the pilot’s attention was only on one thing, “Where do I need to land the plane safely?” “In such circumstances, there simply isn’t enough altitude for operation.”
As the investigation continues, the victims’ families expressed dissatisfaction with the preliminary report. Imtiyaz Ali, whose brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews were among the victims of this air disaster, told BBC that aside from the pilot’s dialogue, there was no substantial explanation. The preliminary investigation report “read like a product description.”
“This is very important to us; we want to know what really happened. Even though it doesn’t change anything for us now, we still feel sad—just as we have since that day, but at least we can have an answer,” said Ali.