DGCA Launches Inspection into Emergency Power System on Select Air India 787s
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an investigation into certain Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operated by Air India following the uncommanded deployment of the emergency power system known as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT).
According to the regulator, Boeing has been instructed to submit a comprehensive report outlining preventive measures to avoid such incidents and to provide global data on similar uncommanded RAT deployments involving 787s. The probe was triggered by an incident on October 4, during a flight from Amritsar to Birmingham, when the RAT unexpectedly deployed mid-flight. The pilots did not report any abnormalities, and the aircraft landed safely before returning to commercial service.
The matter has drawn heightened scrutiny in the wake of the June 12 crash of an Air India 787 that claimed 260 lives. Preliminary findings from Indian investigators indicated that the aircraft’s engine fuel cutoff switches had moved from the “run” to “off” position shortly after takeoff. The DGCA has since directed a re-inspection of aircraft whose RAT power distribution mechanisms were recently modified. The number of affected airframes has not yet been confirmed.
Neither Boeing, Air India, nor India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have commented on the issue. Meanwhile, the Indian Pilots’ Federation sent a letter last Friday to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, urging the temporary grounding of all Air India 787s and a thorough audit of their electrical systems.
