Air India crash linked to sudden fuel switch shutdown
www.dw.com

... A preliminary report into the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad shows the fuel control switches, used to shut down the engines, were moved to the cutoff position.

A preliminary report

into last month's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad found the aircraft engines' fuel control switches shifted from "run" to "cutoff" within a second of each other, causing a loss of thrust.

Only one person out of the 242 people on board the airplane survived, and at least 19 people died on the ground where the plane crashed moments after takeoff.

According to a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released on Friday, the plane reached 180 knots indicated airspeed (IAS), and "immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 1 second."

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust.

Questions about the pilots' actions

The report did not provide a reason for why the switch could have flipped to the cutoff position.

"At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine hoperators and manufacturers," India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said., suggesting no technical issues with the engines or the aircraft.

The bureau also explained that the Engine and Flight Data Recorder (EAFR) " more commonly known as the aircraft's "black box" " was "substantially damaged," to the extent that its data "could not be downloaded through conventional means."

In the cockpit voice recording retrieved from the black box, the report said "one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff," and the other pilot "responded that he did not do so." ...

How did the fuel switch get flipped?

US aviation safety expert John Cox told Reuters news agency that it would not be possible for a pilot to accidentally move the fuel switches. "You can't bump them and they move," he said.

Flipping the fuel switch from "run" to "cutoff" almost immediately cuts the engine.

It is mostly used to turn engines off after an aircraft has reached its gate and in certain emergency situations like an engine fire.

The report did not provide any information that an engine cutoff was required because of any emergency. ...

Amid Air India probe, US FAA, Boeing notify fuel switch locks are safe, document, sources say
www.reuters.com

... The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The FAA's Continued Airworthiness Notification on July 11 came after a preliminary report into Air India's Boeing 787-8 crash, which killed 260 people last month, raised questions over engine fuel cutoff switches.

The FAA's notification to Civil Aviation Authorities, seen by Reuters, said: "although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787."

When asked for comment, the FAA said it did not have anything to add beyond the notification. ...