‘For air safety’: Pilots’ body asks DGCA to check all Boeing 787s; cites RAT deployment in UK-bound AI flight

Air India (For representational purposes only)

NEW DELHI: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), a pilots’ body, on Sunday called for a thorough inspection of the electrical systems of all Boeing 787 planes operating in India “in the interest of air safety.”The FIP’s appeal to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) comes a day after an Air India Boeing 787 flight from Amritsar to Birmingham deployed emergency turbine power while preparing to land in the UK city. The incident, too, comes just months after another Air India Boeing 787 operating between India and the UK (Ahmedabad-London) crashed minutes after take-off in one of India’s worst aviation disasters.“It is pertinent to note that the incident (Amritsar–Birmingham) is another pointer towards the Air India crash of 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 in its letter to the DGCA, according to PTI.“There have been numerous incidents on the B-787 aircraft. We have strongly taken up with the Civil Aviation Ministry and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to thoroughly check the electrical system of all B-787 planes in the country,” the letter added. The pilots’ body also highlighted that ever since the AI-171 (Ahmedabad–London) crash on June 12, it has been constantly urging a comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 electrical systems. “Subsequent to the crash, DGCA checked only the fuel control switches of B-787 in Air India (fleet),” the letter added.AI 117 incidentThe latest incident involved the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of Air India flight AI 117 — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner — deploying during its final approach at around 400 feet, just seconds before landing. The aircraft landed safely and has been grounded for further checks. Notably, RAT had also deployed seconds after the ill-fated AI 171 lifted off from Ahmedabad on June 12.“The operating crew of flight AI-117 from Amritsar to Birmingham on Oct 4, 2025, detected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine RAT during its final approach. All electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing,” the airline said in a statement.The RAT is a last-resort emergency power system that deploys automatically in the event of a dual engine failure or total electronic or hydraulic failure, using wind speed to generate emergency power.Engine or hydraulic/electrical failure or software malfunction are being cited as among the several probable causes of the AI 171 crash that killed 260 people, of whom 241 were onboard the flight.