Pilots’ body urges DGCA to probe All 787 fleet after Air India RAT incident

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged aviation regulator DGCA to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the electrical systems across all Boeing 787 aircraft operating in India. The demand follows the unexpected deployment of the emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on an Air India 787 aircraft during landing at Birmingham on October 4.

In a letter to the DGCA, FIP President G.S. Randhawa said the Aircraft Health Monitoring (AHM) system detected a fault in the Bus Power Control Unit (BPCU), a component that manages an aircraft’s electrical power system which may have triggered the RAT’s automatic deployment.

The incident occurred on October 4, when the Air India 787 operating the Amritsar–Birmingham flight experienced the RAT deployment at around 500 feet during final approach. The aircraft, however, landed safely. Air India said it has grounded the aircraft for inspection and cancelled its return Birmingham–Delhi flight, adding that all electrical and hydraulic parameters were found to be normal.

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FIP said the Birmingham event reinforces the need to examine whether electrical malfunctions or software anomalies could be linked to the earlier crash. The RAT is a small turbine that deploys automatically in case of dual engine failure or total electrical or hydraulic loss, using airflow to generate emergency power.

FIP said this incident is a “serious pointer” in the wake of the June 12 Air India Flight AI171 crash, which involved the same Boeing 787 model and killed 260 people. The pilots’ group said it has repeatedly asked DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to examine the 787’s electrical architecture more closely.

“Since the time B-787 has been flying there have been numerous incidents on 787 aircraft. We have strongly taken up with the Civil Aviation Ministry and AAIB to thoroughly check the electrical system of all B-787s in the country,” the letter said.

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FIP noted that after the AI171 crash, DGCA only checked the fuel control switches of Air India’s 787 fleet, and not the entire electrical system.

“After the Air India-171 crash, the FIP has been constantly insisting on a thorough check-up of the electrical system of B-787 aircraft in the country. Subsequent to the crash, DGCA checked only the fuel control switches of B-787 in Air India fleet,” it said.

In its preliminary report released in July, the AAIB said both engines of the AI171 aircraft lost fuel supply within seconds of take-off from Ahmedabad, leading to confusion in the cockpit. One pilot was heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other replied, “I did not.”

“It is pertinent to note that the incident is another pointer towards the Air India crash of the B-787 aircraft. Thus, in the interest of air safety, FIP insists that DGCA must thoroughly check and investigate the electrical system of B-787 aircraft in the country,” the federation said.