India’s DGCA Orders Urgent Checks on Boeing Aircraft Fuel Switches

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has directed all airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking mechanisms in Boeing aircraft by July 21. The move follows alarming findings in the investigation of the deadly Air India 171 crash last month.

The directive comes in the wake of a preliminary report into the June 12 crash of Air India flight 171, which claimed 260 lives. The investigation revealed that the fuel control switches supplying fuel to the engines were turned off within just one second of take-off, a critical failure that contributed to the fatal incident.