Air India has found no issues with the fuel switches across its Boeing fleet following the Ahmedabad disaster, the airline has confirmed.
An investigation into last month’s crash, which killed 260 people including 52 British citizens, is focusing on the fuel switches of the doomed 787 Dreamliner.
These buttons manage fuel flow to the jet's engines, allowing pilots to start or shut them down, or manually intervene during in-flight failures.
A preliminary AAIB report found the switches were “cut-off” just seconds after takeoff, causing the Gatwick-bound plane to lose power.
According to cockpit audio, co-pilot Clive Kunder asked captain Sumeet Sabharwal why he had suddenly flipped the switches. Captain Sabharwal is reported to have denied doing so.
US officials familiar with the report say they believe the captain may have cut off fuel supply before it went down in Ahmedabad.
Air India said it has completed precautionary inspections of the fuel control switch locking mechanism on all its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, with no issues detected.
The findings of the Air India checks suggest mechanical error with the switches didn’t play a part.
Investigators revealed that both pilots attempted to restart the engines as the plane was coming down, with one beginning to produce thrust.
Following the crash on June 12, Air India inspected its 33 787s, as well as its 75 737s, for potential faults.
Air India said in a statement: “In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism.”
In the past few weeks, Air India has faced disruptions in services amid additional safety inspections, leading to delays and cancellations.
On Monday, an Air India Airbus 320 flight from Cochin International Airport in southern Kerala state to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai veered off the runway during landing.
Bereaved families of UK citizens killed in Ahmedabad have also criticised Indian authorities for repatriating the wrong bodies.
British-Indian man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the only person to walk away alive from the plane after it slammed into a residential building, killing 241 people on board and 19 on the ground — including his brother Ajay.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau expects its final report into the tragedy within a year.
