Air India Plane Crash Report: The Federal Aviation Administration had in 2018 warned about a potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature, which has now become central to the investigation into the Air India plane crash. 

A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) stated that the US federal agency had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) on December 17, 2018. 

The SAIB flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. "This SAIB was issued based on reports from operators of Model 737 aeroplanes that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged," as per the report. 

Did Air India Overlook The Warning?

The AAIB report further stated that the airworthiness concern was "not considered an unsafe condition" that would warrant an airworthiness directive (AD) by the FAA. 

Air India, however, told investigators that it did not carry out the suggested inspections as the SAIB was "advisory" and "not mandatory". 

"The scrutiny of maintenance records revealed that the throttle control module was replaced on VT-ANB in 2019 and 2023. However, the reason for the replacement was not linked to the fuel control switch. There has
been no defect reported about the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB," the report added.