RAT deployment on plane was ‘neither due to a system fault nor pilot action’: Air India  

Air India on Friday said conclusions from its preliminary investigations show that the deployment of Ram Air Turbine (RAT) in its Dreamliner aircraft on October 4 was "neither due to a system fault nor pilot action".

RAT, which is usually used in case of engine failures, got deployed in Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft seconds before landing at the Birmingham airport on October 4. The aircraft, which was coming from Amritsar, made a safe landing.

"Based on the conclusions from our preliminary investigations, the deployment of the RAT was neither due to a system fault nor pilot action. The deployment of the RAT was 'uncommanded', consistent with similar occurrences with other airlines in the past, as reported by Boeing," Air India said in a statement on Friday, a week after the incident.

The airline said it had notified the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about the occurrence and has submitted the preliminary report to the regulator in accordance with the prescribed guidelines.

The statement came on a day when the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) urged the civil aviation ministry to ground the airline's entire fleet of Dreamliners, check their electrical systems and also order a DGCA special audit of Air India.

Air India, on October 5, had also issued a statement on the RAT deployment incident.

"On 4 October 2025, the operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham, detected the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of the aircraft during its final approach. The crew had found all electrical and hydraulic parameters to be normal, and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport.

"At no point during the flight was there any loss of power or control systems. The aircraft was subsequently grounded for further inspections," the airline said in the statement on Friday.

The aircraft was subsequently cleared for service, and it operated from Birmingham to Delhi on October 5, the airline said.

Meanwhile, FIP on Friday said that on October 9, Air India flight AI154 from Vienna to Delhi diverted to Dubai due to major technical issues and on October 4, RAT was deployed on AI117 while landing at the Birmingham airport from Amritsar.

Both flights were operated with Boeing 787 planes, also known as Dreamliners.

On June 12, Air India's Dreamliner operating the flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.