New Delhi, July 12, 2025: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary findings into the recent Air India crash in Ahmedabad, ruling out any defect in the aircraft’s fuel control switch as the cause.
According to the report, an extensive review of maintenance logs and historical advisories confirmed that the fuel control switch on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (VT-ANB) was operating normally at the time of the incident.
However, the report does highlight that in December 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB No. NM-18-33). This bulletin warned of a potential disengagement issue with the locking mechanism of fuel control switches sharing the same design—Part No. 4TL837-3D—as the one installed in the affected aircraft.
Air India confirmed that the FAA bulletin was advisory in nature and not mandatory, and hence, inspections were not carried out.
The aircraft’s throttle control module was replaced in 2019 and again in 2023, but neither replacement was related to the fuel switch. Since the last replacement, no defects have been reported with the component.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the crash and exploring alternate causes, but the fuel control switch has been officially cleared as a contributing factor.
