Fuel switches and the competing theories in the Air India Dreamliner crash probe

Eight months after the crash of AI 171 in June 2025, an Air India Boeing 787-8 was grounded following its London to Bengaluru flight in February 2026. The reason: a faulty fuel control switch.

- Anjuli Bhargava

According to the ministry of civil aviation (MOCA), the aircraft was grounded after a report in the ‘Pilot Defect Report’ stated that the fuel control switch slipped from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ when it was pushed slightly. The report mentioned that the switch also did not lock positively in its selected position.

Based on recommendations from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (read: Boeing), the airline inspected and functionally tested the fuel control switches (FCS) according to prescribed procedures. They found that the fuel control switch “was mechanically functioning as designed and considered the unit serviceable”. Aviation authorities also resolved to send a fuel control switch from the Boeing 787-8 to the US for further inspection, even though initial checks found no fault.

Within days of the grounding, the aircraft was back in operation.

While the final word on the switches, which appear to have “developed a mind of their own”, has not yet been heard, various conspiracy theories abound in the industry as it awaits the final report on the cause of the crash of AI 171, another Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, that resulted in 260 deaths. People outside the investigation but privy to it told this writer the final report is unlikely to be public before August, although those within the investigating team said they were still in the dark about this. News reports have said that the AAIB might publicly present an interim report in June.

Meanwhile, two distinct camps with hardening positions on the possible cause of the crash have emerged during the last year.