NEW DELHI: An Air India pilot on Monday reported a possible defect with the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 plane, which has now been grounded for checks, and the incident comes amid the ongoing probe into the airline's Dreamliner crash last June.
The aircraft operated the flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru, and it landed at Bengaluru on Monday morning. There were more than 200 people on board, according to sources.
Another source aware about the incident said the fuel control switch failed to be in the 'RUN' position and moved towards 'CUT OFF' position.
'RUN' and 'CUT OFF' are used to start or shut down engines, respectively.
It could not be immediately ascertained at what stage of the flight did the Air India pilot notice the possible malfunctioning of the fuel control switch.
The functioning of the fuel control switch is in focus following the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft or Dreamliner that killed 260 people last June, as the preliminary probe report mentioned about fuel supply being cut off soon after take-off.
Air India on Monday said it was aware that one of its pilots had reported a possible defect on the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
"After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to get the pilot's concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA.
"Air India had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the DGCA, and had found no issues," the airline said in a statement.
Air India's Boeing 787-8 has 256 seats.
In a statement, Boeing said it was in contact with Air India and was supporting their review of this matter.
There was no immediate comment from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Not-for-profit group Safety Matters Foundation on Monday said that during the operation of the flight, the crew reported abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch of the aircraft.
"During engine start, the switch failed to remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts, moving towards CUT OFF -- a malfunction that could, under specific conditions, lead to an inadvertent engine shutdown in flight," it claimed in a statement.
In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash.
In its preliminary report on the crash that was released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off.
"In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," it had said.
Currently, Air India has 33 Boeing 787s -- 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s, including 6 from Vistara and the new one.
In 2025, Boeing delivered 14 Boeing 787s to various airlines, including 12 Boeing 787-9s.