The airline has also ordered a fleet-wide inspection of the locking mechanisms on Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
New Delhi:Etihad Airways has advised its pilots operating Boeing 787 Dreamliners to "exercise caution" when handling the aircraft's fuel control switches. In a safety directive, the Dubai-based airline also ordered a fleet-wide inspection of the locking mechanisms on these switches as a precaution. This came after preliminary findings from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the crash of Air India Flight 171 were published on June 12.
The AAIB report revealed that both engine fuel control switches on the Air India aircraft were moved from the 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' position seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad. This led to a complete loss of engine thrust. Audio from the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other, "Why did you cut off fuel?" to which the response was, "I didn't."
Etihad has now taken an "abundance of caution" approach. It has also released a separate engineering bulletin ordering a fleet-wide inspection of the locking mechanisms of the fuel control switches.
The directive, dated July 12 and reviewed by NDTV, instructs engineers to check whether the left and right fuel control switches on Boeing 787 aircraft can be moved between 'CUTOFF' and 'RUN' without lifting the locking mechanism. If the switches move freely without lifting, the locking feature is considered faulty, and the Thrust Control Module (TCM) must be replaced. If the switches stay locked unless lifted, no action is needed.
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