The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken immediate action following the uncommanded deployment of a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The incident occurred on October 4, 2025, just before the aircraft, operating as flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham, was about to land.

In response, the DGCA has directed Air India to reinspect the RAT storage on all Boeing 787 aircraft that have had their Power Conditioning Module (PCM) replaced recently. The PCM provides power for other modules that support the operation of multiple aircraft systems. The directive aims to check for any correlation between newly replaced PCMs and RAT deployment.

Additionally, the DGCA has requested Boeing, the US aerospace manufacturer, to submit a comprehensive report outlining preventive measures to avoid uncommanded RAT deployments. The regulator has also requested detailed information regarding similar uncommanded RAT deployments on Boeing 787 series aircraft globally, as well as any service difficulty reports received from aircraft operators worldwide after PCM module changes.

The RAT is a small turbine that deploys from the fuselage to provide emergency electrical power when the aircraft experiences a loss of power. It is designed to activate automatically in the event of engine failure, hydraulic failure, or electrical failure. The unexpected deployment of the RAT on the Air India flight, when all systems were reportedly functioning normally, has raised concerns.

Air India has stated that preliminary investigations indicate the RAT deployment was "neither due to a system fault nor pilot action" and described it as "uncommanded". The airline also stated that this type of uncommanded deployment has happened with other airlines in the past. Following the incident, Boeing recommended maintenance actions were carried out, and no discrepancies were observed. The aircraft was subsequently released for service and flown back to Delhi on October 5.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has called for a thorough investigation into the electrical systems of all Boeing 787s in India and has even requested that the planes be grounded until the investigation is complete. FIP has also requested a special audit of Air India, which operates 33 Dreamliners.

This incident occurs in the context of heightened scrutiny of Boeing 787 aircraft after the fatal crash of Air India flight AI171 in June 2025, which killed 260 people. The preliminary investigation into that crash revealed that the RAT was deployed after takeoff when both engines shut down following a fuel control switch transition error.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has stated that the DGCA will conduct a thorough study to determine the root cause of the uncommanded RAT deployment.