The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Thursday that the fatal crash of the Boeing 787 jet in India last month did not appear to be caused by mechanical problems or mechanical problems or unintentional movements of the fuel control unit or switch.
FAA administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters on the field of aerial performances in Wisconsin.
He said FAA employees have taken the units out, tested them, and had inspectors fly and reviewed them. “We feel very comfortable, and it’s not a problem with unintentional operation of fuel control,” he said.
An investigation into the Indian air crash caused 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, focusing on fuel-controlled conversion of the Boeing 787 jet.
Boeing and Air India did not comment immediately.
The switch controls fuel flow to the aircraft engine, allowing the pilot to start or turn it off on the ground, or manually intervene during an on-board engine failure.
Get the latest information about CBCNews.ca, the CBC News app and the CBC News Network.
Air India said on Tuesday it had completed a preventive inspection of the locking mechanism of the fuel control switch of all 787 and 737 aircraft, but found no problems.
Earlier this month, a preliminary report from the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Agency found that shortly after takeoff, the switches switched from “run” to “off” almost simultaneously, causing the engine to lose power.
Reuters reported last week that a source said recordings were recorded on the cockpit of the Gatwick Airways from Ahmedabad to London.
Earlier this month, the FAA and Boeing issued a private notice saying that the fuel switch locking on Boeing aircraft is safe.
