Air India plane crash report: US aviation regulator flagged fuel switch issues in 2018; airline says...

A preliminary report on investigation into the Air India plane crash of June 12 has revealed that the aircraft's fuel switch -- which turns the engines on and off -- was turned off just moments after takeoff. Now, it has surfaced that the United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had flagged a potential issue with the fuel switch on Boeing airplanes seven years ago. But, Air India has told the probe team that it did not carry out the inspections suggested by the US regulator in 2018 as they were advisory and not mandatory.

What had US FAA said?
In 2018, the US FAA issued a special bulletin highlighting potential problems with fuel switch locking mechanisms on Boeing planes. The bulletin was released after reports that these switches were installed with their locking features disengaged on some Boeing 737 aircraft. The locking features are there to prevent unintended or mistaken movement of the switches. But when the lock is disengaged, the fuel switches can potentially be moved even by vibration, unintended touch, or other similar factors.

What has initial probe revealed?
The preliminary probe into the Air India crash reveals that the fuel switch was turned off moments after takeoff, and even though it was turned back on, the engines failed to regain thrust. The report adds that according to an in-flight voice recording, one pilot asked the other why he had cut off fuel, to which the latter replied he did not do so. It remains unclear whether the fuel cutoff was due to human contact or a mechanical or system malfunction.

What happened with Air India flight?
On June 12, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane operated by Air India with 242 people onboard -- 230 passengers and 12 crew members -- crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad international airport, killing almost everyone on board. The accident marked one of India's deadliest aviation accidents ever. The plane crashed in a residential area close to the airport and killed dozens others on the ground. Ramesh Viswashkumar, a 40-year-old British citizen of Indian origin, is the sole survivor of the tragic incident.