Air India Grounds Boeing 787 After Scare, Orders Fleet-Wide Inspection

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Air India has taken a precautionary measure by ordering a fleet-wide reinspection of the fuel control switch latch on its Boeing 787 aircraft after a pilot reported a possible defect during a flight from London to Bengaluru earlier this week. The incident prompted the airline to ground one aircraft and escalate the matter to Boeing for priority evaluation. The issue occurred on flight AI132, which landed safely at Bengaluru with over 200 passengers on board on Monday morning. According to Captain Amit Singh, founder of the Safety Matters Foundation, the pilot reported abnormal behavior of the left engine fuel control switch on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, VT-ANX. The pilot observed that the switch failed to remain locked in the 'run' position on two attempts, moving towards 'cutoff.' This malfunction could potentially lead to an engine shutdown in flight under specific conditions. In response to the reported defect, Air India's engineering team has initiated a precautionary reinspection of the fuel control switch latch on all Boeing 787 aircraft to verify normal operations. The airline assured its pilots that no irregularities have been detected so far. Boeing has also confirmed that it is supporting Air India's review of the matter. The incident has raised concerns about the thoroughness of checks conducted by the airline after the Air India 171 crash. Captain Singh emphasized that passengers and crews deserve clear answers about the cause of the discrepancy and whether it is a new or recurring defect.