Etihad Airways, the leading airline of Abu Dhabi, has instructed its pilots to use fuel control switch very carefully during flight in Boeing 787 aircraft. Along with this, the airline has also issued an order to check the locking system of these switches.

The move has been taken after the preliminary investigation report of India’s Air India flight AI 171 crash, fearing that the AI 171 may have opened the lock of the fuel control switch during the flight, which stopped the engine. However, the technical flaw has not yet been officially confirmed and the investigation is on.

FAA’s 2018 alert again in discussion
Following the AI 171 incident, the US Aviation Agency FAA has reminded airlines from all over the world of an old safety alert released in 2018. This alert was associated with this possible flaw, in which the lock of the fuel switch of the Boeing 787 aircraft could unknowingly open.

Special instructions given to pilots
According to the information received, Etihad has asked the pilots in a notice issued on July 12 to conduct the fuel control switch or any switch around it very carefully. Do not keep any item like bags, water bottles etc. near the switches, so that there is a risk of pressing the button by mistake. If there is any disturbance, then report it immediately.

Engineers also order to investigate
The engineering department of the airline has been instructed to thoroughly examine the fuel switch locking mechanism in all Boeing 787 aircraft. If needed, the thrust control module (important part related to the engine) should also be changed.

Precautionary steps for safety
The airline has clarified that this entire process is being adopted as a precautionary measure. The investigation of AI 171 is still going on, but keeping in mind the possible threat, Etihad has taken this decision keeping security paramount. The airline has a clear message that the pilot carefully run the switch, the unusual situation immediately explain and the engineer make sure that each system is functioning correctly.

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Air India Plane Crash: The preliminary investigation report of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad in Ahmedabad has come out. This report has revealed that in 2018, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a special aircraft information bulletin (Saib No. NM-18-33) and warned about the possible problem of the removal of the locking feature of fuel control switch in Boeing aircraft. This bulletin was also involved in the planes like B787-8. Was.

What is the problem of locking feature of fuel control switch?
The fuel control switch locking feature is a safety system that prevents unintentional operation between fuel supply and cut-offs of the aircraft engine. The FAA report said that if this locking feature becomes inactive, then the switch can be replaced between the two positions (On and Off) without picking up the switch, which can lead to a serious event like unknowing engine shutdown.

FAA reported ignored
The report also stated that this warning of FAA was not mandatory, but was only advisory, so inspections related to it were not done. This is an important point, because if it had been investigated in time, the accident could have been avoided. Retired pilot Captain Ehsan Khalid of IAF said that the fuel cut-off switch is run physically by the pilot, it is not automatic. He said, ‘If the movement of the fuel cut-off switch has been recorded, then it is a sign of an attempt by the pilot to resume the engine. But the truth is that the power of the engine itself was closed, the pilot did not give any input, it is clear from the report.

What is in the preliminary report of AAIB?
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a 15 -page preliminary report a month after the accident, which describes the preliminary investigation and the situation so far. The AI171 aircraft, which was going from Ahmedabad to Gatwick from London, collided with a medical hostel complex shortly after the takeoff. Only one of the 241 passengers could survive in this accident.

The report said that debris investigation, postmortem report and investigation of parts are still going on. So far no recommendation has been issued for B787-8 aircraft or GE GENX-1B engine operators.

Air India and Boeing are cooperating
Air India has said that it is fully supporting the investigation, and Boeing said that it will allow AAIB to share information under the Unnex 13 protocol of the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).