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An Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft’s last-resort power system unexpectedly deployed on its own just before the plane landed safely at Birmingham airport on Saturday, even though all electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, prompting a probe by India’s aviation safety regulator.
The ram air turbine (RAT) system was one of the points of focus in the investigation of the Air India Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad which killed 260 people.
A pilot association, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has now urged the DGCA to inspect the electrical systems of all Boeing 787s operating in India, arguing that the RAT deployment points to electrical system issues.
The RAT is a small wind-powered turbine. In modern aircraft, it deploys automatically during grave emergencies involving total electrical failure or a debilitating hydraulic failure. Pilots can also deploy it manually. An accidental automatic RAT deployment without an emergency situation is extremely unusual.
In Saturday’s incident, the RAT deployed when the aircraft originating from Amritsar was at an altitude of just 400 feet over Birmingham, said sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The pilot, however, did not report any related abnormality.
Maintenance actions for uncommanded RAT deployment, as advised by Boeing, have been carried out and no discrepancy was found, said the sources. The aircraft, which had been grounded for further checks, is being released for operations, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct a detailed investigation, according to sources.
An Air India spokesperson said: “The operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham on 04 October 2025 detected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of the aircraft during its final approach. All electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing at Birmingham.”
In the June 12 crash, the doomed aircraft’s RAT was deployed moments after liftoff, as the engine fuel control switches transitioned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’. This shut down both plane engines, according to the preliminary probe report. A detailed technical investigation into the crash is underway and the final investigation report is expected in a few months.
Pilot association FIP said an electrical fault could have led to the deployment of the RAT on Saturday’s flight, AI-117. It suggested that an electrical fault or failure could also have contributed to the Ahmedabad disaster.
The FIP noted that while the DGCA did check the fuel control switches of all Boeing 787s in the country after the preliminary probe report was released, electrical system checks were not mandated.
“After the Air India-171 crash, the FIP has been constantly insisting on thorough check up of the electrical system of B-787 a/c (aircraft) in the country…Since the time B-787 has been flying there have been numerous incidents on B-787 a/c. We have strongly taken up with MOCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) and AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) to thoroughly check the electrical system of all B-787 a/c in the country,” the FIP said.
“It is pertinent to note that incident in another pointer towards the AI crash of B-787 a/c. Thus, in the interest of Air Safety FIP insists that DGCA must thoroughly check and investigate the electrical system of B-787 a/c in the country,” the pilot association added.
EDOT: What is a RAT?
The RAT is essentially a wind turbine stowed in a compartment in the underside of the fuselage of the Boeing 787, just behind the aircraft’s wing. It deploys into the airstream to generate power only when primary and secondary power sources fail. In the case of power failure, the RAT helps power vital systems such as flight controls or flight-critical instrumentation, navigation, and communication equipment.
