Air India Boeing 787-8 Incident: Key Findings from the Investigation

Investigation Insights on Air India Boeing 787-8 Crash

Air India has replaced the 'Throttle Control Module' (TCM) of the Boeing 787-8 aircraft involved in a recent crash twice over the past six years, following directives issued by Boeing in 2019.

The TCM includes switches that regulate fuel flow. A report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday revealed that the fuel control switches for both engines shifted from 'Run' to 'Cutoff' within a second, leading to an immediate drop in the aircraft's altitude.

This situation created confusion in the cockpit of Air India flight number 171. Tragically, the incident, which occurred last month in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, resulted in the loss of 260 lives.

Sources informed a news agency that Boeing had issued a revised Maintenance Planning Document (MPD) for all operators of the Dreamliner in 2019.

According to the MPD, operators are required to replace the TCM after every 24,000 flight hours.

Since the MPD was released in 2019, Air India has changed the TCM for this aircraft in both 2019 and 2023. Attempts to obtain a response from Air India regarding this matter have not yet yielded any answers.

Details about the MPD remain unclear. In response to inquiries sent to Boeing, a company spokesperson referred to a statement released on Saturday, indicating that the company will continue to cooperate with the investigation and Air India.

The spokesperson added in an emailed statement, 'We will comply with the protocols of the International Civil Aviation Organization, known as Annex 13, and information regarding AI171 will only be provided by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).'