Posted on 07/13/2025 12:19:21 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Summary
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI/MONTREAL, July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The FAA's Continued Airworthiness Notification on July 11 came after a preliminary report on Friday into last month's Boeing 787-8 crash, which killed 260 people, raised questions over engine fuel cutoff switches.
The FAA's notification to Civil Aviation Authorities, seen by Reuters, said: "although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787."
When asked for comment, the FAA said it did not have anything to add beyond the notification.
Boeing also referred to FAA's notification in a Multi-Operator-Message sent to the airlines in the past few days, which said the planemaker is not recommending any action, two of the sources with direct knowledge said.
When asked for comment, Boeing referred Reuters' questions to the FAA.
The preliminary investigation report into the crash by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), referred to a 2018 FAA advisory, which recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cutoff switches to ensure it could not be moved accidentally.
The report said Air India had said...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Yes...I have not read everything but fire has not been mentioned in articles, nor in pilot recordings. And I don’t remember seeing evidence of an engine(s) fire.
Bad fuel?
Blocked filter.
Water in the fuel?
What would any of that have to do with the fuel switch locks, which they know were manually switched off and back on to cause the crash?
OK, I did not read the entire article (fatal flaw #1 here on FR).
Not bad fuel, deranged pilote bent on murdering 270 ppl.
Well they tried to ask the pilots, but they were ☠️
ping for later
With Elon's Neuralink technology it will soon be possible to scan the brains of dead people for information. Unfortunately the accident happened too soon.
NSS! Boeing switches have been that way since the 60s.
According to the Preliminary Report, the cutoff switches were in the run position at the moment of the crash. This is being explained as the switches being moved to the off position then being moved back to the run position in an attempt to restart the engines (unfortuantely they were too close to the ground and there was insufficient time to regain engine thrust).
BUT.
Aren’t the cutoff switches ‘fly-by-wire’?
i.e. no mechanical connection but operated via electronics.
Therefore is it not possible for an ‘uncommanded’ action of the cutoffs without any manual operation?
This could explain the rather confused conversation in the cockpit:
“Why did you cutoff?”
“I didn’t!”
Is there a separate visual indication of the fuel cutoff/run status anywhere else on the controls (other than looking at the switch positions)?
FRegards
Companies must do better to prevent such catastrophe's. Surely good background check and psychological profile should always be part of employment.
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