India’s aviation watchdog has ordered immediate inspections of fuel switch locks on several Boeing (NYSE:BA) aircraft models, including the 787 Dreamliner and 737 series, following disturbing revelations in a preliminary crash investigation.
The move comes as part of a growing global response to last month’s Air India tragedy, in which 260 people died shortly after takeoff when fuel switches unexpectedly flipped to the cutoff position.
A preliminary report revealed:
Both fuel switches simultaneously flipped from “run” to “cutoff” just after liftoff.
Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking why the other had cut fuel, only to hear: “I didn’t.”
The switches appear to have moved without deliberate pilot input, reviving concern over a 2018 FAA advisory that urged, but did not mandate, an inspection of switch lock designs.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered airlines to inspect all Boeing aircraft for:
Fuel switch lock integrity
Accidental movement safeguards
South Korea also announced its intention to follow suit. Several international carriers are voluntarily inspecting their fleets, despite Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reiterating their belief that the switches remain safe when maintained per guidelines.
With Boeing once again facing regulatory scrutiny and safety concerns, investors are closely watching for implications on production, orders, and liability exposure.
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Although no new mandates have been issued by the FAA, the growing international momentum for precautionary checks could pressure Boeing to re-engineer its switch lock mechanisms.
This incident may also reignite broader discussions around:
Mandatory hardware inspections
Post-certification oversight
Operator compliance for older advisory bulletins
Boeing has yet to announce whether a fleet-wide retrofit or design update will follow, but the reputational and financial consequences may escalate if further incidents are linked to fuel switch failures.
