On the 2nd of February 2026, Air India flight 132 departed London Heathrow for a scheduled passenger flight to Kempegowda International Airport.

The 9 hour 45 minute flight in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was uneventful and landed safely at Bengaluru (Bangalore) at 11:54 local time the following day.

The eventful part happened before the flight, documented in the report filed after the flight, which has opened up discussion on the fatal 2025 crash of Air India flight 171 again.

At London Heathrow, during engine start, the flight crew moved both fuel control switches to the RUN position. Both fuel switches were correctly set.

The flight crew then rechecked the switches by gently touching them. The left switch slipped to the CUTOFF position.

The crew moved the left switch back to RUN and touched it again. The switch slipped to CUTOFF again.

They tried a third time. This time, the left switch remained in the RUN position.

After confirming that the switch was latched, they decided to continue. The flight departed 35 minutes late, at 19:19 local time.

 Once they had landed in Bengaluru, the captain documented the defect in the maintenance log.

 LEFT FUEL CONTROL SWITCH SLIPS FROM RUN TO CUTOFF WHEN PUSHED DOWN SLIGHTLY, IT DOES NOT LOCK IN ITS POSITION

Air India grounded the aircraft.

 We are aware that one of our pilots has 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 to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis. The matter has been communicated to the aviation regulator, DGCA.

Why is this news? Because of Air India flight 171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad last June. DGCA’s preliminary report  stated that both engine fuel control switches were moved from RUN to CUTOFF within a second of CC BY-SA 2.0each other. The preliminary report does not draw any conclusions as to the cause. However, the evidence suggests that one of the pilots moved the switches, either in a very bizarre and unlikely mistake or intentionally, intending to crash the aircraft in a suicide/murder.

I wrote about it here: Air India 171 Crash Triggered by Fuel Cutoff

That aircraft was also a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

This is why the issue with Air India flight 132 made aviation headlines. If there is an issue with the fuel switches being able to move to CUT-OFF on their own, that would change everything.

This is exactly the angle of the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), who have argued that the 787’s move to a “more electric aircraft” has introduced a digital failure mode that didn’t exist in older Boeings. They have used this new incident to frame a public statement last Tuesday, as reported in ANI News: All B-787 must be grounded, checked for electrical faults: FIP President CS Randhawa

From day one after the AI-171 crash, we have been insisting that all B-787s be checked for electrical systems. We have gone on record in the media and written letters to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the DGCA that fuel control switches may have moved automatically due to electrical malfunctions of TCMA in the AI-171 crash.

On a Boeing 737, the fuel control switch is a physical lever that traditionally has a mechanical or hardwired electrical link to the fuel spar valves. On the 787, the switches provide electrical inputs to the aircraft’s central computers, which then command the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) to open or cut fuel.

The Federation of Indian Pilots are arguing that water seepage into the main electronic bay of the aircraft could trigger a sensor error and cause a logical cut-off, killing the engines electronically regardless of the settings of the physical switches.

Air India flight 132’s log report seems to be considered proof that it is possible for a switch to physically move without the pilot pulling to unlock the switch. If this is true, then it contradicts the preliminary report which argued that as the switches were mechanically sound, a person must have moved the switches.

Air India responded the same day with an email to all of their B787 pilots, which was published by NDTV news:

 “Following the reported defect involving a Fuel Control Switch on one of our B787 aircraft, Engineering has escalated the matter to Boeing for priority evaluation,” [the VP for flight operations] wrote. “In the interim, while we await Boeing’s response, our engineers, out of abundance of caution, have initiated precautionary fleet-wide re-inspection of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) latch to verify normal operations. To date, no adverse findings have been reported on the aircraft for which this re-inspection is completed.”

 “We would also like to remind all crew to promptly report any defects observed during operations and to ensure that all required actions are completed prior to accepting the aircraft,” he added.

Boeing assessed the aircraft in question, registered in India as VT-ANX, and found that there was no problem. The DGCA summarised Boeing’s findings in a statement.

 Both left and right switches were checked and found satisfactory, with the locking tooth/pawl fully seated and not slipping from RUN to CUTOFF. When full force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure. However, applying external force in an incorrect direction caused the switch to move easily from RUN to CUTOFF, due to the angular base plate allowing slip when pressed improperly with finger or thumb.

But of course, our faith in Boeing isn’t what it once was.

Further, they refer to a video which shows the switches disengaging.

The video currently circulating on social media was analysed in light of Boeing recommended procedures, and it was observed that the procedure demonstrated in the video being circulated is incorrect.

The airline is being advised to circulate the Boeing recommended procedure for the operation of Fuel CUTOFF switch to its crew members.

Pilot error. And the unspoken issue: if it is easy for a pilot to mistakenly move the fuel switches from RUN to CUTOFF, then that is a problem that needs dealing with. Is it?

I have not seen the video in question. One viewer claims that the switch on the video has been deliberately tampered with, rotated in order to disable the locking. If anyone has seen this video, perhaps they will weigh in.

Nevertheless, the argument that this explains what happened on Air India flight 171 is spurious. The fuel switch issues reported by the crew of Air India flight 132 are not related to faulty electronics arguments made by the Federation of Indian Pilots, despite their attempts to connect this flight to the crash of 171.

A design flaw that allows a fuel switch to move to CUT-OFF with only light pressure doesn’t explain what happened on Air India flight 171. The left and right fuel switches both moved to CUT-OFF one second apart, without anyone noticing that they were repeatedly touching the switches after takeoff.

On Wednesday, Air India reported that they completed their inspection of their 28 Boeing 787s. Air India Completes Precautionary Checks On Boeing 787 Fuel Control Switches, Finds No Issues. They agreed that they would circulate the recommended operating procedures for the fuel switches to all crew members, in line with DGCA’s guidance.

That same day, the UK Civil Aviation Authority weighed in, expressing “serious concern” over why the aircraft departed Heathrow despite the reported fuel control switch issue during pre-flight checks. They have asked Air India to explain how the aircraft was cleared for takeoff, requesting a “…detailed account of all maintenance actions performed to ensure the continued airworthiness of the aircraft and to support its release to service [for Bengaluru].”  They also asked for a comprehensive root-cause analysis (how did the failure happen; current answer is just a shrug) and a preventative action plan, to stop it happening again. The CAA warned of enforcement measures for incomplete or late responses.

This is a fair take: the fuel switch moving to CUT-OFF is a serious malfunction. Deciding to embark on a nine-hour passenger flight because the switch stayed in position on the third try is extremely questionable. If the switch is faulty and the crew don’t know what caused it to slip, then they should not continue with the flight.

This story is not over. Air India has one week to respond to the UK CAA’s questions about flight 132. Meanwhile, the DGCA’s investigation into flight 171 continues.