Fuel valve warnings ignored? UK Aviation Authority flagged Boeing 787 weeks before crash

India Today

Just four weeks before the deadly Air India AI171 crash, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority flagged the fuel shutoff valve on Boeing aircraft—including the 787 Dreamliner that went down.

Transcript

00:00Just four weeks before the June 12th tragedy, the UK Civil Aviation Authority had flagged

00:04the fuel shut-off valve on several Boeing aircraft models, including the 787 Dreamliner

00:08that crashed.

00:09The May 15, 2025 safety notice from the UKCAA followed a US Federal Aviation Administration

00:15Airworthiness Directive from 2015.

00:17The directive flagged fuel shut-off valve actuators as a potential safety concern in

00:20five Boeing aircraft models, 737, 757, 767, 777 and the 787.

00:27A fuel shut-off valve is a safety device that stops the flow of fuel to the engine.

00:30This is typically done during maintenance, in case of an engine fire or during forced landings.

00:35The UK regulator directed airline operators to test, inspect or replace fuel shut-off valve

00:39actuators on Boeing 787s among others.

00:42In 2018, the USFAA had also issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin warning that

00:47some Boeing 737 aircraft had fuel control switches installed without the locking feature engaged,

00:52a design also used in the 787 Dreamliners.

00:55However, the AAIB preliminary report found that Air India didn't inspect the locking mechanism

00:59of the fuel cut-off switches recommended by the 2018 FAA advisory as it was not mandatory.

Category

Transcript

Recommended