India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets

NEW DELHI, July 15 (AFP): India has ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models after they came under scrutiny following last month's crash of an Air India jet which killed 260 people.

A preliminary report, issued Saturday by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, found that the switches had flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff.

The report did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not.

India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the order Monday to investigate the locking feature on the fuel control switches of several Boeing models including 787s and 737s.

The order came after Boeing notified operators that the fuel switch locks on its jets were safe.

But it was in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which recommended inspection of the locks to ensure they could not be moved accidentally.