Amid Air India probe, US FAA, Boeing notify fuel switch locks are safe, document, sources say

Reuters ^ | July 13, 20251:17 PM CDT | David Shepardson, Abhijith Ganapavaram and Allison Lampert

[Bobbyvotes]

Then it was suicide mission. Not sabotage cause the pilot would know 109% he was going to die.

[Cold Heart]

Was it the mushrooms?

[BenLurkin]

110%

[GaryCrow]

I fly a Boeing model which has the same fuel cutoff switches as the 787. It is impossible to move them accidentally, you have to pull them out about 1/4” against strong spring tension before moving and then release. If they were in the cutoff position it was done intentionally.

[Valpal1]

Yes, and there is a great deal of media trying to obsfucate this fact.

[KarlInOhio]

For those unfamiliar with lever lock switches, imagine a normal toggle switch with an outer shell on it. You have to pull the shell towards you to release the lock, move the toggle switch normally and then release the shell.

[A Navy Vet]

Thank you.

[Pocketdoor]

If there is say an engine fire, is part of the emergency procedures to shut the fuel off?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Thanks for the first-hand confirmation.

[citizen]

Was the pilot (or co-pilot) a allahu akbar Moslem?

[A Navy Vet]

I wonder about that design. For such an important switch, why don’t they use the switch with a protective canopy (red top) over it that has to be raised manually before activating the toggle or button?

[KarlInOhio]

Yes. Apparently it is also part of the emergency restart procedure if the engines shut down on their own because some experts were speculating they were off because the pilots were trying to restart. But then more timing and voice info came out showing the switches were turned off before the engines shut down.

[dljordan]

“Was the pilot (or co-pilot) a allahu akbar Moslem?”

No, he was a devotee of Kali.

[6AL-4V]

Pulling the fire handle for the engine that is indicating a fire closes the spar valve and shuts fuel to that engine. Airplane engines are fed from their onside fuel tank. A crossfeed valve allows fuel from one wing tank to supply the opposite side engine thru the fuel manifold. But closing the spar valve with the fire handle shuts fuel to that engine, regardless of crossfeed valve position. If the spar valve is closed, there is no other way for fuel to reach that engine.

[Gay State Conservative]

Yes,the Indian government...and others...will try to blame Boeing for this. It’s obvious why Indian officials would do so.But as for the others...think market share...stock price manipulation,etc

[6AL-4V]

The design of the switch, with detents, like a flap handle, is a safe design. The spring loaded feature keeps it in the detent, until pulled upward and moved to a different position. If it was a guarded switch, it wouldn’t have prevented a suicide pilot. The design of the fuel cutoff switches has a long and safe history.

[A Navy Vet]

Although I was Aviation Navy for years, I was basically a flight deck grunt with no cockpit experience. I'll just take your and others' here assessments of that switch design over a "guarded switch" to be fact.

So what happened?

[Bobbyvotes]

Yeah the lust for 72 virgins is overpowering. Hundreds of innocent passengers lives be damned.

[Bobbyvotes]

Your common sense is admirable 👍👍