Centre orders probe after Air India flight sees unexpected RAT deployment

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 6, 2025: The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday launched a probe after the unexpected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system of an Air India flight.

Officials earlier told HT that the DGCA will be investigating the incident. “The matter requires detailed investigation. An officer from directorate of sir safety (NR) has been assigned this investigation,” a DGCA official said.

The RAT system is an emergency system that is activated automatically when an aircraft loses power. 

UK-bound AI flight faces serious scare

On Saturday, an Air India flight going from Punjab’s Amritsar to England’s Birmingham encountered a serious mid-air scare after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner saw the unexpected deployment of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during landing.

“The operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham on 4 October 2025 detected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of the aircraft during its final approach. All electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing at Birmingham,” Air India said in a statement.

The plane landed safely in Birmingham and was grounded for inspection. Following Saturday’s incident, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) also wrote to the DGCA seeking a comprehensive investigation of the electric systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft operating in India.

"We have written an email to Manish Kumar, who is in charge of air safety in DGCA, and we have marked the copies to DG DGCA, DG AAIB and the Secretary of Civil Aviation. The incident occurred on the 4th of October on a Boeing 787 aircraft. Registration was Victor Tango Alpha November Oscar (VT-ANO)", Captain CS Randhawa told ANI.

As per FIP, the Birmingham-bound flight had everything "running properly", yet the, RAT was deployed while the aircraft was just 500 feet in the air, which is a highly rare occurrence unless an aircraft encounters engine failure.

This incident comes months after the deadly June crash of Air India flight in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people. The sole survivor of the plan crash was identified as a British national.