An Air India flight en route from Amritsar to Birmingham faced a concerning mid-air incident on Saturday. The Boeing 787 aircraft experienced the unexpected deployment of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during the landing phase. This event has brought back chilling memories of a previous Air India crash and has led the pilots’ union to call for a thorough inspection of the aircraft’s electrical systems.
**What is a Ram Air Turbine (RAT)?**
The RAT, or Ram Air Turbine, is a vital safety feature on aircraft. It’s a small, propeller-like device that is designed to automatically deploy in critical emergencies, such as a complete failure of both engines or a total loss of electrical power. Such unexpected deployments are rare and typically indicate a technical issue.
Significantly, the RAT was also deployed during the tragic Air India crash on June 12, where a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in the loss of 241 lives.
According to skybrary.aero, the RAT generates power by harnessing the aircraft’s airspeed. This power is then directed to either an electrical generator or a hydraulic pump, ensuring the operation of essential flight systems like flight controls, critical instrumentation, navigation, and communication equipment. Some RAT systems provide hydraulic power only, which then drives an electrical generator.