The scrutiny surrounding Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has been intensified with frequent reports of a safety device, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), having deployed mandatorily without command on 31 separate occasions throughout the world. The mechanism designed for deployment only during extreme emergencies once activated unplanned on an Air India flight from Amritsar to Birmingham on October 4, barely seconds before landing.
Though the aircraft landed safely and the event sparked revival talks about maintenance practices as well as aircraft reliability across the globe.
What is the Ram Air Turbine (RAT)
The RAT is a small propeller-like device that is designed to be automatically deployed from the fuselage of the aircraft in case of failure of both engines or main electrical systems. It generates emergency power by producing airflow keeping certain vital flight controls alive in a situation of extreme disaster.
Such an uncommanded extension would suggest a malfunction that poses the potential to either create a drag on the aircraft or distract pilots in flight phases that are very critical. Boeing has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with respect to this anomaly and the preliminary findings suggest it might relate to maintenance.
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Tracing the Root Causes
Investigations pointed that most of the uncommanded deployments happened within six months after a maintenance procedure where the turbine was manually stowed. The question seems to be about a poor locking mechanism which is particularly having an issue regarding an old component known as the shuttle valve.
If this locking toggle is not seated perfectly during the course of maintenance, then the vibrations from takeoff or landing may dislodge it, causing the RAT to extend inadvertently. In the Indian context, the Air India aircraft in question (VT-ANO) had undergone maintenance with respect to this in July 2025 and still had the older version of the valve.
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What is the DGCA’s Swift Action
Post the Birmingham incident, the DGCA directed Air India to check the RAT stowage procedure of all Dreamliners that were serviced in the last six months of the 16 identified aircraft, 14 have been checked back already while checks of the remaining 2 are scheduled to be conducted during their upcoming maintenance rounds such preventive measures reflect an increasing watchfulness on the part of the regulator in view of escalating technical irregularities in the long-haul fleets.
Safety Oversight & Industry Concerns
The RAT failure comes as a wider examination of the Boeing 787 series gathers steam. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) urged immediate investigation checks on all Dreamliners over ongoing electrical issues. Some pilot unions are at present arguing for some temporary grounding, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has clarified that the RAT deployment of October 4 was not linked to an unrelated dual-engine shutdown that caused the June 12 Ahmedabad crash.
The random co-occurrence has again sparked global concerns as to maintenance integrity and system reliability, not to mention concern over the aviation safety system of oversight over modern aircraft operations.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace official safety notices or aviation authority advisories.
