Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made a new disclosure on Tuesday regarding the maintenance of Boeing aircraft. CAA said that four weeks prior to the Ahmedabad plane crash, an alert was issued regarding the fuel control switch of Boeing aircraft.
Fuel shutoff valve is an important safety device, which stops the supply of fuel to the engine when needed. It is used during engine fire, emergency landing or maintenance. Primary reports have revealed that the Ahmedabad plane crash happened because the plane's fuel switch were turned off.
CAA had also ordered all airlines coming to Britain to check these valves, replace or repair them if needed and make daily inspection mandatory.
On May 15, CAA had instructed airlines to follow the instructions of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In its instructions, FAA had described the fuel shutoff valve actuators in Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft as a potential danger.
On June 12, flight AI 171 going from Ahmedabad to London collided with a medical hostel building shortly after takeoff. 270 people died in this.
Fuel control switches of all Boeing aircraft registered in India will be checked
The fuel control switches of all Boeing aircraft registered in India will be checked. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an order to the airlines on Monday. It said that the investigation should be completed by July 21.
The DGCA has advised all Boeing airline operators to submit the report after the investigation is completed. This decision has been taken after the preliminary investigation report of the Ahmedabad plane crash was released, this report was released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on July 12.
The report said that during the Ahmedabad plane crash, the fuel control switch changed from run to cutoff and then back to run, causing the engines to stop getting fuel. Some foreign airlines, including Etihad, have already started investigating their Dreamliners.