New Delhi: Following a serious technical snag on an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner a pilots’ association has called on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an immediate and detailed inspection of the electrical systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft operating in India. The demand comes after an incident on Saturday where the emergency power system the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) automatically deployed just before the flight’s landing.
What Happened?
On Saturday October 4, 2025, Air India flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham was in its final approach for landing when its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was found to have deployed. The RAT is a small, propeller-like device that deploys in the event of a dual engine failure or a complete loss of electrical power using airflow to generate electricity for critical systems. However Air India stated that all electrical and hydraulic parameters on the aircraft were normal at the time and the plane landed safely in Birmingham. The aircraft was subsequently grounded for investigation leading to the cancellation of the return flight AI114 from Birmingham to Delhi.
Why are Pilots Concerned?
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written to the DGCA expressing grave concerns over the incident. According to the FIP the aircraft’s health monitoring system had detected a fault in the Bus Power Control Unit (BPCU) which likely caused the RAT to deploy automatically. The BPCU is responsible for managing the aircraft’s electrical power system.
The FIP has linked this incident to the tragic Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad in June of this year which resulted in 260 fatalities. The preliminary investigation into that accident also revealed that the RAT had deployed after the aircraft’s engine fuel control switches were cut off. The FIP alleges that following the June crash it had repeatedly called for a thorough check of the entire electrical systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft but the DGCA only inspected the fuel control switches.
In its letter the pilots’ body has insisted that in the interest of air safety the DGCA must now conduct a comprehensive investigation of the electrical systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft in the country.
