Eight months after the crash of AI 171 in June 2025, an Air India Boeing 787-8 was grounded following its London to Bengaluru flight in February 2026 due to a faulty fuel control switch.
The ministry of civil aviation (MOCA) reported that the aircraft was grounded after a 'Pilot Defect Report' stated that the fuel control switch slipped from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' when pushed slightly.
Aviation authorities sent a fuel control switch from the Boeing 787-8 to the US for further inspection, despite initial checks finding no fault.
Two distinct camps have emerged with hardening positions on the possible cause of the crash: one blaming an electrical short circuit or malfunction, and the other blaming deliberate pilot action.
The 'pilot did it' theory is based on a conversation outlined in the preliminary AAIB report, in which one pilot asks the other why he cut off the fuel, to which the other replied that he did not.
Each theory has different implications for Boeing, Air India, and Tata Sons, with an electrical malfunction pointing to severe and far-reaching consequences.
