The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation safety authority, has issued a directive to Air India to re-examine the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) stowage systems on all its Boeing 787 aircraft. This instruction specifically targets planes where the Power Conditioning Module (PCM) has been recently replaced.
This regulatory action stems from two separate technical incidents that have occurred recently with Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. A senior DGCA official stated, “Air India has been advised to reinspect the RAT for stowage for all the aircraft whose PCM module was replaced in the recent past.” The Power Conditioning Module (PCM) plays a crucial role in the B787’s electrical power system.
Investigations are currently underway for an incident where the RAT deployed automatically on an Air India flight from Amritsar to Birmingham just before landing. Furthermore, the DGCA is seeking a comprehensive report from Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, detailing preventive measures to address the issue of uncommanded RAT deployments.
These directives follow two consecutive incidents involving Air India’s Dreamliner aircraft. Adding to the concerns, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) had previously written to the Civil Aviation Minister, urging the grounding of the entire Boeing 787 fleet for a special safety audit.
Records indicate that on October 4, the RAT deployed on Air India’s Amritsar–Birmingham flight (AI-117) shortly before landing. Subsequently, on October 9, flight AI-154 from Vienna to Delhi, also a Boeing 787, was diverted to Dubai due to a “technical issue.” The FIP’s letter to the minister suggested that the Vienna-Delhi flight’s diversion was triggered by a sudden autopilot system failure, leading to a cascade of technical malfunctions. However, Air India has refuted claims of any electrical failure on the Dubai-diverted aircraft.
The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is a vital emergency power source designed to deploy automatically in scenarios such as dual engine failure or a complete loss of electrical or hydraulic power. The DGCA has also instructed Air India to thoroughly review the ‘D’ Check work package related to PCM module changes to identify any potential discrepancies.
Regarding the Amritsar-Birmingham incident, a DGCA official noted, “During landing at 400 ft, RAT unlock message came and it got deployed. The pilot did not report any related abnormality and the aircraft landed safely.” Following this, Boeing’s recommended maintenance actions were performed, and no issues were found. The aircraft was then cleared for service and returned to Delhi on October 5.
In response to the incidents, another DGCA official stated, “Boeing has been requested to provide a comprehensive report outlining the preventive measures to be implemented in respect of the uncommanded RAT deployment incident.” The aviation authority has also urged the US manufacturer to share global data on similar incidents involving the Boeing 787 series, as documented in the company’s Fleet Team Digest, and any service difficulty reports received from operators following PCM module replacements.