DGCA Urges Air India to Reinspect RAT system amid Technical Glitches

October 12, 2025

New Delhi: Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Air India to carry out a reinspection of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system — an emergency power source — on all Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft where the Power Conditioning Module (PCM) was recently replaced.

The directive follows two recent technical incidents involving Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft earlier this month.

Two Technical Incidents in Quick Succession

On October 4, the RAT on Air India’s Amritsar–Birmingham flight (AI-117) deployed automatically just before landing. The aircraft, however, landed safely without any reported abnormalities.

Just five days later, on October 9, another Boeing 787 operating the Vienna–Delhi flight (AI-154) was diverted to Dubai after the autopilot system failed mid-flight, triggering multiple technical warnings and forcing pilots to fly manually.

A RAT is designed to deploy automatically during a complete engine, electrical, or hydraulic failure, using wind power to generate emergency electricity to sustain critical systems.

DGCA Seeks Boeing’s Global Report

The DGCA has asked Boeing to submit a detailed report on preventive measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents. The regulator also sought data on similar RAT deployment cases globally and on service difficulty reports filed after PCM replacements.

According to DGCA officials, Air India has been instructed to reinspect all Dreamliners where the PCM — a key electrical unit managing power distribution — was replaced recently.

The airline has also been told to review its “D-check” maintenance procedures, ensuring all mandated actions were performed following PCM replacements.

Air India Denies Electrical Failure Claim

During the October 4 incident, the RAT unlock message appeared at around 400 feet before landing, but the flight crew reported no malfunction. Boeing-recommended checks found no technical defects, and the aircraft was cleared for further operations the next day.

Air India, however, denied reports suggesting an electrical failure in the aircraft that diverted to Dubai, maintaining that the diversion was precautionary.

Pilots’ Body Demands Fleet Audit

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), in a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister, claimed that the Vienna–Delhi flight faced multiple system failures, including issues with the autopilot, flight directors, and instrument landing system, forcing the pilots to operate manually at night.

The FIP urged authorities to ground Air India’s entire Boeing 787 fleet and conduct a special safety audit.

Probe Underway

The DGCA said its investigation into both incidents is ongoing. Further regulatory action will be taken after reviewing Air India’s inspection findings and Boeing’s technical report.