Dhaka: India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has directed Air India to reinspect the emergency power systems across its entire Boeing 787 fleet, following an automatic deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on flight AI117 during descent on October 4, according to agency report.

The RAT, a backup system designed to activate only in life-threatening situations such as dual-engine failure or total electrical loss, unexpectedly deployed at about 500 feet while the aircraft was landing safely.

The incident was traced to a fault in the Bus Power Control Unit, said GS Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots.

The DGCA also instructed Boeing to submit a detailed report on preventing future RAT deployments during normal operations.

The RAT generates emergency hydraulic and electrical power by deploying a turbine from beneath the aircraft, spinning in the airflow to sustain critical flight controls.

The incident raised safety concerns amid ongoing scrutiny following an Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad on June 30, which killed 241 people. The final report on that crash is pending.

The Federation of Indian Pilots has called on the Civil Aviation Ministry to conduct a special audit of the 787 fleet and consider grounding the affected aircraft.

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