RAT Deployment On Plane Was ‘Neither Due To A System Fault Nor Pilot Action’: Air India

Mumbai: Air India said on Friday that results from its preliminary investigations showed that the October 4 deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on its Dreamliner aircraft was “neither due to system error nor pilot action”.

The RAT, which is often used for engine failures, was deployed on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft seconds before landing at Birmingham Airport on October 4. The plane coming from Amritsar made a safe landing.

“Based on our preliminary investigations, the deployment of the RAT was neither due to a system error nor due to pilot action. The deployment of the RAT was ‘uncommanded’ and was consistent with similar incidents at other airlines in the past, as reported by Boeing,” Air India said in a statement on Friday, a week after the incident. he said.

The airline said it informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about the incident and submitted the preliminary report to the regulator in accordance with the laid down rules.

The statement came on a day when the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) called on the civil aviation ministry to ground the airline’s entire fleet of Dreamliners, check its electrical systems and also seek special inspection from the DGCA for Air India.

Air India had also issued a statement regarding the RAT deployment incident on October 5.

“On October 4, 2025, the operating crew of Flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham detected that the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT) had opened during final approach. The crew found that all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport.

“There was no loss of power or control systems at any point during the flight. The aircraft was subsequently grounded for further examination,” the airline said in a statement on Friday. he said.

The aircraft was later cleared for service and flew from Birmingham to Delhi on October 5, the airline said.

Meanwhile, FIP said on Friday that on October 9, Air India flight AI154 from Vienna to Delhi was diverted to Dubai due to major technical problems and Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed on AI117 while landing at Birmingham airport from Amritsar on October 4.

Both flights were operated by Boeing 787 aircraft, also known as Dreamliners.

On June 12, Air India Dreamliner flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.