DGCA Investigates Unexpected Ram Air Turbine Deployment on Air India Boeing 787 Flight

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator, has requested a detailed report from Boeing regarding the unexpected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on Air India flight AI-117 at Birmingham airport earlier this month. Additionally, the DGCA is recommending that Air India conduct reinspections of RAT stowage systems on all affected aircraft, with particular attention to those with recently replaced power conditioning modules (PCMs).

A high-ranking DGCA official disclosed, "We have asked Boeing to provide a comprehensive report detailing preventive measures for the uncommanded RAT deployment incident, along with global data on similar occurrences within the Boeing 787 fleet as referenced in their Fleet Team Digest, and information about service difficulty reports from worldwide operators following Power Control Module replacements."

Furthermore, the DGCA has directed Air India to thoroughly examine the "D" Check maintenance protocol to verify that all necessary procedures related to PCM module replacement have been correctly executed. The official further mentioned that they will conduct additional inspections of RAT stowage systems on all Boeing 787 aircraft that recently underwent PCM module replacements.

The incident involved Air India flight AI-117, operating a Boeing 787-8 aircraft (registration VT-ANO), which was traveling from Amritsar to Birmingham when the RAT unexpectedly deployed at an altitude of 400 feet during its landing approach on October 4, 2025. The flight crew reported no abnormal indications, and the aircraft completed a safe landing without any complications.

Addressing the RAT deployment issue, the official confirmed, "The investigation is still ongoing." The Ram Air Turbine serves as an essential safety mechanism that activates during emergency situations, such as electrical or hydraulic system failures, to generate backup power.

According to Boeing, maintenance procedures for addressing uncommanded RAT deployment were performed, and no irregularities were detected. Subsequently, the aircraft was cleared for operational service and returned to Delhi on October 5, 2025, as stated by an official.

The DGCA's investigation is focused on identifying the root cause of the unexpected RAT deployment and ensuring appropriate measures are implemented to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.