NEW DELHI (AP) - India's leading body of pilots has urged the civil aviation regulator to conduct inspections of all Boeing 787 Dreamliners operating in the country following an incident in which one of the aircraft unexpectedly deployed its emergency power system midair. This request came after Air India flight 117, traveling from Amritsar to Birmingham, England, experienced an unexpected engagement of the ram air turbine (RAT) shortly before landing on Saturday.
The RAT is a small propeller device that serves as a backup generator, typically activated when an aircraft's engines lose power, or when there is critically low pressure in hydraulic systems or electrical system failures. Although it functions as a safety measure, the unexpected activation during the recent flight raised significant safety concerns.
In response to the incident, the Federation of Indian Pilots, which represents approximately 6,000 pilots, formally requested an investigation into the matter on Sunday evening. Air India, which operates under the Tata Group conglomerate, stated that an initial inspection conducted after the incident indicated that "all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal," and the aircraft completed its landing successfully.
The midair deployment of the emergency device has reignited fears regarding the safety of Boeing 787 Dreamliners in India. This concern is particularly acute in light of a previous tragedy involving an Air India Boeing 787, which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 260 people, including 19 on the ground. The crash marks one of India's worst aviation disasters.
A preliminary report from the investigation into the June crash indicated that the fuel control switches of both engines were moved from the "run" position to the "cutoff" position moments prior to impact, which deprived both engines of fuel. This action caused the RAT system to activate as designed when the aircraft lost power and engine thrust.
Charanvir Singh Randhawa, the president of the Federation of Indian Pilots and an aviation professional with a career spanning five decades, expressed his alarm regarding the recent RAT activation, stating, "I have never heard of the RAT system being deployed even when there are no problems in the engines, hydraulics, or electrical systems, as appeared to be the case over the weekend. It’s a serious concern that warrants a detailed inquiry."
Randhawa has taken formal steps by emailing India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, detailing the incident and stressing the need for an investigation into the electrical systems of all Boeing Dreamliners currently in operation within the country.
As of the latest updates, a spokesman for India’s Civil Aviation Ministry had not responded to inquiries regarding the situation, and a representative from Boeing India also was unavailable for comments at the time.
