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India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has asked Boeing for a detailed report on the uncommanded deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on Air India flight AI-117 at Birmingham earlier this month and is advising Air India to reinspect the RAT stowage on all affected aircraft, particularly those with recently replaced power conditioning modules (PCMs).
A senior DGCA official said, "Boeing has been requested to submit a comprehensive report outlining the preventive measures to be implemented in respect of the uncommanded RAT deployment incident, global data on similar incidents reported in the Boeing 787 fleet, as cited in the company's Fleet Team Digest, and details of any service difficulty reports from operators worldwide following Power Control Module (PCM) changes." Additionally, the DGCA has instructed Air India to review the "D" Check work package to ensure that all required actions related to the PCM module replacement have been properly implemented. The official also added that they will re-inspect RAT stowage on all Boeing 787 aircraft where the PCM module was replaced recently. Air India flight AI-117, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft (VT-ANO), was en route from Amritsar to Birmingham when the RAT (Rapid Air Turn) deployed unexpectedly at an altitude of 400 feet during landing on October 4, 2025. The pilot reported no abnormalities, and the aircraft landed safely without incident. Regarding RAT deployment, the official stated, "Further investigation is in process." The RAT is a critical safety device that deploys in emergencies, such as electrical or hydraulic failures, to provide backup power. Boeing stated that maintenance actions for uncommanded RAT deployment were carried out, and no discrepancy was observed. Accordingly, the aircraft was released for service and returned to Delhi on October 5, 2025, an official said. The DGCA's investigation aims to determine the cause of the uncommanded RAT deployment and ensure that necessary measures are taken to prevent such incidents in the future. (ANI)
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