FAA, Boeing notify fuel switches safe amid India probe

As the investigation continues into the deadly Air India Boeing 787-8 crash that claimed 260 lives last month, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have both privately notified stakeholders that the aircraft's fuel switch locks are safe, according to an official document and sources familiar with the matter.
According to information,the FAA issued a Continued Airworthiness Notification to Civil Aviation Authorities on July 11, stating that although the design of the fuel control switch, including its locking mechanism, is similar across several Boeing aircraft models, the agency does not consider it an unsafe condition warranting an Airworthiness Directive — a mandatory safety measure.“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,” the notification read.
Boeing echoed the FAA’s stance in a recent Multi-Operator Message sent to airline operators, stating that the manufacturer is not recommending any further action at this time, according to two sources directly familiar with the communication.When contacted, the FAA declined further comment beyond the issued notification. Boeing, meanwhile, referred questions to the FAA.India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had raised concerns about the Boeing 787’s engine fuel cutoff switches in its preliminary report. Citing a 2018 FAA advisory — which recommended, but did not mandate, checks on the locking mechanisms of these switches — the report noted that Air India had not performed the suggested inspections, as they were not compulsory.
The report also revealed that maintenance records showed the throttle control module, which houses the fuel switches, was replaced in both 2019 and 2023 on the aircraft involved in the crash. It added that all relevant airworthiness directives and service bulletins had been followed.During the aircraft’s final moments, the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel had been cut. The second pilot reportedly denied doing so. The preliminary report observed that both fuel switches had flipped from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff’ almost simultaneously, shortly after takeoff, but did not clarify how or why this occurred.
The Indian chapter of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), known as ALPA India, has strongly contested any early presumption of pilot error in the crash.In a letter posted on X, ALPA India highlighted that the 2018 FAA advisory referenced in the AAIB report pointed to a possible equipment malfunction regarding the fuel switch gates. The union has called for a "fair, fact-based inquiry" and demanded observer status in the official probe.“The pilots’ body must now be made part of the probe, at least as observers,” said ALPA India President Captain Sam Thomas in a statement.

ALPA-India's Official Position on AAIB Preliminary Report - Al 171 Accident pic.twitter.com/6J1YIz1IM7

— ALPA INDIA (@Alpaindia2019) July 12, 2025

Two U.S. safety experts also expressed support for ALPA India's request, though they said the preliminary AAIB report appeared balanced. John Cox, a veteran pilot and former ALPA representative in the U.S., described the report as "objective and fair."