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Emergency system deploys in UK-bound AI flight, lands safely
An Air India Boeing 787 experienced unexpected Ram Air Turbine deployment during landing, prompting safety concerns and an investigation into its electrical systems.
In a serious mid-air scare, an Air India Boeing 787 operating from Amritsar to Birmingham reported unexpected deployment of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during landing on Saturday, prompting the pilots’ union to flag the need for detailed checks of the aircraft’s electrical system.
The aircraft landed safely, the airline said on Sunday.
The RAT, a small propeller-like device, is designed to automatically deploy only in extreme emergencies such as a dual engine failure or total power loss. Its unexpected deployment is rare and usually signals a technical fault.
“The operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham on 4 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,” Air India said in a statement.
While the incident took place during landing at 400ft when a message of unlocking RAT was received, a senior DGCA official said, the pilot did not report of any related abnormality.
Another official said, “All recommended maintenance actions have been carried out and found satisfactory. Boeing has confirmed the aircraft to be structurally and functionally acceptable for continued operation if all the steps are satisfactory.”
The DGCA will be investigating the incident, officials confirmed.
“The matter requires detailed investigation. An officer from directorate of sir safety (NR) has been assigned this investigation,” a DGCA official said.
“Boeing recommended maintainance actions for uncommanded RAT deployment have been carried out and no discrepancy has been observed. Aircraft is being released for service. Boeing however, has issued FLEET TEAM DIGEST (internal communication) containing brief of previous cases.”
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been grounded for inspection, leading to the cancellation of its Birmingham-Delhi return flight. “Alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate the passengers,” the airline added.
This is the second such incident involving the same aircraft model since the June 12 crash of Air India’s Dreamliner, AI 171, which killed 260 people after the plane crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing that crash, with early findings pointing to sudden engine shutdowns seconds after take-off.
The latest incident has once again raised questions about the reliability of the Boeing 787 fleet. US aircraft maker Boeing has not commented publicly on the earlier crash, one of the worst in India in three decades.
After the latest incident, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written to the country’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to conduct detailed checks of the electrical system of the B787 aircraft in India.
It also sent the same letter to the civil aviation ministry, including the aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha.
In the letter on Sunday, the union that consists of over 5,500 pilots across the country, stated, “It is pertinent to note that the incident in another pointer towards the AI crash of B-787 aircraft.... 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.”
It said that, after the Ahmedabad crash, the FIP has been insisting on thorough check of the electrical system of B-787 aircraft.
“Subsequent to the crash, DGCA checked only the fuel control switches of B-787 in AI. Today an incident occurred on a B-787 aircraft, VT-ANO… In today’s incident the Aircraft Health Monitoring (AHM) has picked up a fault of the Bus Power Control Unit (BPCU) which may have caused the auto deployment of RAT. All electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing at Birmingham.”
It further stated, “...There have been numerous incidents on B-787 aircraft. 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 aircraft in the country.”
“The incident involving Air India Flight AI117 today raises immediate and serious concerns about Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, its maintenance, operation, and deployment. The RAT on the 787 deploys automatically through computer input only if the systems detect a major failure in engine power, hydraulics, or thrust assurance,” Mark D Martin of Martin Consulting, an aviation safety firm, said.
“At this stage, the 787 fleet should be grounded until the exact reason behind the RAT’s deployment in both the AI171 Ahmedabad crash and the Birmingham incident is established,” he said.
