India’s aviation safety watchdog is preparing to send officials to Seattle to observe Boeing’s controlled laboratory examination of a fuel-control switch panel extracted from an Air India (AI) Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. The testing, which Indian regulators have characterised as “sensitive in nature” directly concerns the same class of fuel-control switches that investigators found had shut off nearly simultaneously aboard Air India Flight AI171 — a Boeing 787-8 that crashed 32 seconds after liftoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD), Ahmedabad, on 12 June 2025, killing 260 people and becoming the deadliest aviation disaster of the decade and one of the deadliest in India.
The switch panel in question was removed from a Boeing 787-8 registered VT-ANX, after the crew of Air India Flight AI132 — operating from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Kempegowda International Airport (BLR), Bengaluru — flagged a possible defect during engine start-up on 1 February 2026. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) publicly cleared the unit as “satisfactory” at the time, but the decision to proceed with deeper forensic testing at Boeing’s own facility elevates the regulatory stakes considerably, with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) expected to release its final report into the Ahmedabad crash as early as next month.
The February Incident: What Happened Aboard Flight AI132 At Heathrow
During pre-departure engine start at London Heathrow on 1 February 2026, the flight crew of AI132 observed that the left-engine fuel control switch did not remain securely latched in the “RUN” position when light downward vertical pressure was applied. The switch slipped toward “CUTOFF” on the first two attempts before stabilising correctly on a third try. The crew conducted a physical verification, confirmed the switch was fully latched, and proceeded with the roughly nine-hour-45-minute flight to Bengaluru.
The aircraft, registered VT-ANX, landed safely at BLR on 2 February 2026, at which point the airline grounded the Dreamliner as a precaution and informed the DGCA. In a public statement, Air India confirmed awareness of the pilot’s report and said the original equipment manufacturer (Boeing) was engaged on a priority basis to investigate the pilot’s concerns. The DGCA subsequently carried out inspections using Boeing’s recommended pull-to-unlock procedure and declared that the fuel control switch lock mechanism met design specifications.
The DGCA also reviewed a video circulating on social media purporting to demonstrate the issue, concluding that the technique shown did not follow Boeing’s recommended operating method and was therefore incorrect. Following its inspection, the regulator directed Air India to circulate Boeing’s recommended operating procedure for the fuel cut-off switch to all flight crew members. The DGCA said at the time the matter did not indicate a systemic safety issue.
Why The DGCA Called the Matter “Sensitive”?
Despite the initial clearance, the DGCA moved to mandate its own attendance at any further examination of the removed module at Boeing’s premises in Seattle, Washington. In a March 9 email reviewed by Reuters, Manish Kumar, a DGCA deputy director of airworthiness, wrote:
“As the matter is sensitive in nature, Air India is hereby directed to ensure that the strip/test examination at OEM’s (Boeing) premises is carried out in the presence of a DGCA officer.”
The email did not elaborate on what specifically rendered the matter sensitive.
Air India’s own statement to Reuters acknowledges that Boeing and the DGCA had already confirmed the module as “fully functional,” but says the decision to proceed with additional testing is “understood to be intended to ensure a thorough and conclusive evaluation as a measure of abundant caution.”
The airline added that the testing “involves examination in a controlled laboratory environment to definitively confirm its performance and integrity.” Air India is owned by the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines following its privatisation from the Indian government.
Neither the DGCA nor Boeing responded to Reuters’ queries on the matter as of the time of publication. The regulator’s insistence on direct observation at Boeing’s facility is notable, since while it is not unusual for manufacturers to perform component analyses for airline customers, regulators seldom attend such sessions unless a safety concern of broader significance is suspected. The DGCA, the Kumar, and Boeing did not respond to Reuters’ queries.
Boeing’s Response: A Service Bulletin but No New Guidance
After the AI132 incident in February 2026, Boeing did not remain entirely silent. The manufacturer issued a service bulletin to all 787 operators reminding them of existing procedures for the fuel-control switches, but it did not issue any new operational guidance or airworthiness directives. The service bulletin was framed as a reminder rather than a corrective action, a distinction that regulators and analysts have noted carefully given the ongoing AI171 investigation.
This approach mirrors Boeing’s posture following the preliminary AAIB report. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg cancelled his plans to attend the Paris Air Show in 2025 and offered condolences to the victims of AI171, dispatching a team of experts to the crash site to assist investigators.
Boeing’s share price fell nearly 9% in pre-market trading following the crash before recovering over 13% in just over a month, partly buoyed by the AAIB and FAA’s joint conclusion that a flaw in the fuel switch design was unlikely to have caused the crash. The upcoming laboratory testing in Seattle may put further pressure on the manufacturer to provide more definitive answers about the component’s performance integrity.
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