Indian air safety officials plan to travel to Seattle next month to observe Boeing's testing of a fuel-control switch panel removed from an Air India Boeing 787 after pilots reported a possible defect during a London-Bengaluru flight in February, according to documents seen by
Reuters.
The testing has renewed scrutiny of fuel-control switches on Boeing Dreamliners as investigators prepare a final report into the Air India 787 crash in Gujarat last June that killed 260 people.
A preliminary report had found the switches were shut off nearly simultaneously, cutting fuel supply to the engines.
During the February incident, pilots observed that the switches did not stay fixed in the 'run' position during two attempts before stabilising on a third try.
Although Boeing and India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) later found the module 'serviceable', it was sent to Boeing's Seattle facility for further examination.
A DGCA official directed that the testing be carried out in the presence of Indian regulators as the matter was 'sensitive'.
According to Reuters, Indian officials want to examine whether external pressure at a particular angle could move the switch despite its locking mechanism.
Air India said the additional testing was being conducted 'out of abundant caution'. -- Agencies
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