INDIA PLANS JUNE VISIT TO BE ‘THOROUGH’
The US Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Boeing aircraft, has said last year’s Air India crash, the world’s deadliest in a decade, does not appear to have been caused by a mechanical issue.
Recorded dialogue between the two pilots on the flight suggested that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the engines while the first officer was flying the plane, Reuters reported last year citing a source briefed on US officials’ early assessment.
Such a prospect was denounced by a pilots’ union in India and the captain’s father, who called for an independent investigation to look into other causes.
Under international rules, a final report into the crash from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is due next month, and if that is not achievable, an interim update is required. The AAIB did not respond to a request for comment.
In relation to the February incident in London, the testing of the switch module is due to take place in June, the emails showed, around the time of the anniversary of last year’s crash.
The DGCA now wants to examine the switch’s locking mechanism, including whether external pressure applied at a particular angle could move it when locked, said an Indian government official explaining the reasoning behind the Seattle visit.
The Indian government “wants to be thorough”, the official said on condition of anonymity because the matter is sensitive.
Air India is paying for the trip, which will have two DGCA officials travel to the Boeing facility, said another source familiar with the matter.
While the DGCA said publicly in February the switches “were checked and found satisfactory”, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) queried the airline at the time to understand why the pilots took off with the alleged defect and reported the incident only on landing.
Air India at the time told the CAA the unit was found serviceable, one of the emails showed. In a statement to Reuters, the CAA said its review of the incident is ongoing and it “is closely monitoring Air India’s adherence to its processes.”
Boeing has said it issued a service bulletin after the February flight to all 787 operators reminding them of existing procedures, but it did not issue new guidance.
