The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has launched a formal inquiry following the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) in an Air India aircraft during landing, which did not work out as planned. It was a mid-air scare that had happened on a Saturday in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in flight AI117 over Amritsar to Birmingham.
The investigation, according to the officials, will be conducted by an officer of the Directorate of Air Safety (Northern Region) since the case needs a detailed technical analysis. RAT is an emergency critical device that only falls into place automatically when an aircraft loses its power, therefore providing back-up hydraulic and electrical assistance. Its use in the routine operations is peculiar and is regarded as a huge safety issue.
As we were heading to the Birmingham Airport landing, the cockpit crew had sensed that the RAT was deployed, although all other systems were functioning normally. The pilots kept track of the performance of the aircraft and ensured that the hydraulic and electrical parameters worked normal without any exceptions.
Air India also released a statement that the landing had been done safely and no passengers were endangered. On 4 October 2025, the flight AI117 of Amritsar to Birmingham discovered deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of the plane during final approach. The airline said that all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal and that the plane landed safely in Birmingham.
After the landing, some initial checks were carried out by engineers, and the DGCA was informed instantly according to aviation safety procedures. The inquiry will be based on determining whether the deployment was caused by a malfunction of systems, sensor failure, or a single technical malfunction.
According to aviation experts, even though the deployment of the RAT is infrequent except in the case of emergencies, the system is designed in a way that it is safe in the event of a complete power outage.
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