The Directorate Common of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Sunday, issued an in depth clarification relating to experiences of a purported malfunction of a gas cut-off swap on an Air India Boeing 787-8 plane, dismissing recommendations of a technical failure and terming a viral social media video on the problem as incorrect.
The clarification pertains to Air India flight AI 132 working from London to Bengaluru on February 1, 2026, utilizing Boeing 787-8 plane VT-ANX. Throughout engine start-up in London, the flight crew noticed on two events that the gas management swap didn’t stay positively latched within the “RUN” place when mild vertical strain was utilized. On the third try, the swap latched appropriately and remained secure.
In response to the DGCA, the crew carried out a bodily verification to make sure the swap was absolutely and positively latched earlier than continuing. No irregular engine parameters, warnings, cautions, or system messages had been noticed throughout engine begin or at any level thereafter. The flight continued as deliberate and landed in Bengaluru with out incident.
Following arrival, the crew logged the commentary within the post-flight defect report (PDR). Air India subsequently referred the matter to Boeing for steerage. Based mostly on Boeing’s really useful inspection procedures, Air India’s engineering workforce examined the gas management switches.
“Each left and proper switches had been checked and located passable, with the locking tooth/pawl absolutely seated and never slipping from RUN to CUTOFF. When full pressure was utilized parallel to the bottom plate, the swap remained safe. Nonetheless, making use of exterior pressure in an incorrect route prompted the swap to maneuver simply from RUN to CUTOFF, because of the angular base plate permitting slip when pressed improperly with finger or thumb,” reads the rejoinder.
The DGCA added that additional checks had been carried out on the pull-to-unlock pressure of the gas management swap utilizing Boeing’s really useful procedures. These checks had been carried out on the affected swap, the alternative gas management unit, and a gas cut-off swap from one other plane. In all instances, the pull-to-unlock pressure was discovered to be inside prescribed limits. The inspections had been carried out within the presence of DGCA officers.
The regulator additionally reviewed a video circulating on social media that purportedly demonstrated the problem. After evaluation, DGCA concluded that the process proven within the video didn’t comply with Boeing’s really useful methodology and was due to this fact incorrect.
In mild of the findings, the airline has been suggested to flow into Boeing’s really useful working process for the gas cut-off swap to all crew members. The DGCA mentioned the matter doesn’t point out a systemic security problem and reaffirmed that the flight in query was accomplished safely, with no operational or technical incident.
