An Air India pilot reported a fuel switch problem on a Boeing 787 -8 flight from London to Bengaluru after it landed on Monday, February 2, 2026. The airline said it has grounded the aircraft and is looking into the issue.
The switches that provide fuel to the two engines were central to the preliminary report on the Air India AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad last June.
Air India Grounds Boeing 787
This report mentioned that the switches for the engine shifted to the CUTOFF position one after the other, leading to a loss of engine thrust and the shutdown of both engines. This resulted in the crash of the Boeing 787-8, which killed at least 269 people. The report did not clarify if this switch action was accidental or intentional. A small part of the pilot exchange noted in the report led to discussions about whether the crash was a suicide attempt.
Report malfunction of LEFT engine fuel control switch
In a statement on X, he wrote that the crew “reported malfunctioning of the LEFT engine fuel control switch” on an Air India Boeing 787-8. He added that during engine start, the switch failed to stay in the RUN position on two attempts and moved towards CUTOFF. This malfunction could cut off fuel supply to the engine, potentially causing a shutdown in certain situations.
It was unclear why the crew chose to continue with the flight when the issue occurred during “engine start,” as said. However, Air India said the airline was informed of the incident after the flight landed in Bengaluru.
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