Boeing 787 Electrical Systems Under Scrutiny Following Multiple Incidents and Air India Crash

RAT deploys automatically in the eventuality of a dual engine failure (Representational)

Mumbai:

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Sunday called upon the DGCA, India's aviation safety regulator, to conduct comprehensive inspections and investigations into the electrical systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft operating in India.

This request came through a formal letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), following an incident involving an Air India Boeing 787 aircraft traveling from Amritsar to Birmingham, where the emergency turbine power deployed unexpectedly as the aircraft was preparing to land in the UK city.

According to Air India's statement, the flight crew reported that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) unexpectedly deployed during final approach on October 4, though the aircraft managed to land safely despite this occurrence.

FIP President G S Randhawa noted in the letter that the Aircraft Health Monitoring (AHM) system had detected a fault in the Bus Power Control Unit (BPCU), which may have triggered the automatic deployment of the RAT during the Birmingham flight incident.

"The incident occurred when the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed automatically at 500 ft on approach into Birmingham... 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," stated the pilots' organization, which represents more than 5000 cockpit crew members.

The BPCU is responsible for managing an aircraft's electrical power distribution system.

The RAT is designed to deploy automatically in critical situations such as dual engine failures or complete electronic or hydraulic system failures, utilizing wind speed to generate emergency power.

Engine failures, hydraulic/electrical system malfunctions, or software issues are among the potential causes being investigated in the Air India Boeing 787 crash that occurred in June this year.

"There have been numerous incidents involving B-787 aircraft. We have strongly urged the Civil Aviation Ministry and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to thoroughly examine the electrical systems of all B-787 aircraft operating in India.

"Following the Air India-171 crash, the FIP has consistently advocated for thorough inspections of the electrical systems in B-787 aircraft across the country. After the crash, the DGCA only examined the fuel control switches of Air India's B-787 fleet," the FIP stated in their letter.

On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787 operating flight AI 171 bound for London Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in 260 fatalities, including 241 individuals on board the aircraft.

The AAIB, which is investigating the crash, revealed in its July preliminary report that the engine fuel control switches of the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 were deactivated seconds after takeoff, with one pilot questioning why the other had cut them off, to which the latter responded that they had not done so.

"It is important to note that this incident serves as another indicator related to the Air India B-787 aircraft crash. Therefore, in the interest of aviation safety, FIP insists that the DGCA must thoroughly inspect and investigate the electrical systems of all B-787 aircraft operating in India," the Federation emphasized in their letter.

Boeing, the US aircraft manufacturer, has maintained silence regarding one of the deadliest air disasters in India in the past three decades.