NEW DELHI: India’s aviation regulator has directed Air India to carry out a thorough inspection of the emergency power system — known as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — installed on some of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, following a recent in-flight incident involving one of the carrier’s jets.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it has instructed Air India to check the functioning and reliability of the RAT system on all 787 aircraft currently in operation. The RAT is a critical emergency component designed to supply power to essential flight systems in the event of a main power failure during flight.
The DGCA has also asked Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, to submit a comprehensive technical report detailing the system’s design, its operating procedures, and any preventive measures taken to minimize the risk of unintentional RAT deployment. The regulator said the report must include recommendations to enhance safety and address any potential vulnerabilities identified in recent incidents.
The directive follows an occurrence on an Air India Boeing 787 operating a flight from Amritsar to Birmingham, UK, during which the aircraft’s crew detected an unexpected deployment of the RAT system while on final approach. The airline confirmed the event in a statement released on Sunday, saying the situation was handled safely and the aircraft landed without further complications.
This latest incident comes amid renewed scrutiny of RAT functionality on Boeing aircraft. In July, Indian air safety investigators reported that the RAT had also deployed prematurely during the initial climb of another Air India Boeing 787 — the same aircraft that later crashed in June, killing all 260 people on board. Preliminary findings from that crash investigation had already prompted calls for enhanced technical oversight and manufacturer review.
A senior DGCA official said the regulator’s immediate priority is to ensure the airworthiness of all Boeing 787s in Air India’s fleet and to prevent any recurrence of such anomalies. “We have taken a precautionary approach to verify that all safety-critical systems, including the RAT, are functioning within design parameters,” the official stated.
Air India has confirmed that inspections across its Dreamliner fleet have begun in coordination with Boeing’s engineering team. The airline emphasized that passenger safety remains its top priority and that it will fully comply with all DGCA directives and manufacturer recommendations.
The RAT system, though rarely used, plays a vital role in maintaining aircraft control during severe power loss emergencies by generating hydraulic and electrical power through airflow over a small turbine. However, any uncommanded deployment of this system is treated as a significant safety event that warrants investigation.
The DGCA said it will continue to monitor the inspection process and review Boeing’s findings before deciding whether additional airworthiness directives or operational advisories are necessary.
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