Posted on 10/06/2025 7:32:24 AM PDT by Red Badger
An Boeing 787 Dreamliner was forced to deploy its emergency Ram Air Turbine during final approach to Birmingham Airport on Saturday. An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Birmingham landed safely on Saturday, October 4, after the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed during its final approach.
The flight AI117 departed Amritsar Saturday, October 4 2025 for a 10-hour flight to Birmingham, UK. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (registration VT-ANO) landed on runway 33 at 19:07 BST while pilots detected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine during final approach to Birmingham.
According to an Air India spokesperson, the aircraft’s electrical and hydraulic systems were operating normally despite the RAT deployment, with all parameters found normal throughout the approach and landing. “All parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing at Birmingham,” the spokesperson confirmed, emphasizing that safety protocols were strictly followed throughout the operation.
Air India flight AI117 on Saturday, October 4 2025 What is a Ram Air Turbine? The Ram Air Turbine is a small, fold-out windmill-like device designed to generate emergency power in case of failure of the main electrical or hydraulic systems. The RAT helps maintain control of essential flight instruments and hydraulic pressure, ensuring safe aircraft handling during emergencies.
The turbine deploys automatically or can be manually activated when aircraft systems detect loss of normal power generation. Once deployed, the device extends into the airstream, where wind force spins the turbine to generate emergency electrical and hydraulic power.
Significantly, Air India confirmed that the aircraft’s electrical and hydraulic systems were operating normally despite the RAT deployment. This suggests that while the emergency system activated, the primary aircraft systems continued functioning, potentially indicating a false trigger or precautionary deployment.
Aircraft Grounded for Inspection Following the incident, the aircraft was immediately grounded for detailed inspections to determine why the RAT deployed and to ensure the aircraft’s airworthiness before returning to service.
As a result of the aircraft being grounded for inspections, the return flight AI114 from Birmingham to Delhi was cancelled. Air India confirmed it is making alternative arrangements to accommodate affected passengers and minimize disruption, including rebooking on alternative flights and potentially deploying substitute aircraft to clear the backlog.
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Aviation Ping!.............RAT Deployment?.............
Ah, the joys of allowing software in the cockpit.
Nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong.
And we still have no updates on that 787 crash in India...
The best way to solve RAT deployment is to deploy the SNAKE.
Bad joke about US Democrats on board in 3, 2, 1...
Deploying the RAT!
And we still have no updates on that 787 crash in India...
This would have been a great gag for the movie Airplane.
50-50 Software “glitch” or cockpit error. The fly data recorder should resolve the issue. Far better to have an occasional unnecessary deployment than miss one necessary deployment.
I've never flown Air India but I have *been* to India and to call it "Third World" is to give those words a whole new meaning.
The title is very misleading. It suggested a rat (democrat) was deployed (thrown out) while in flight. Until I read it, I thought it was a good news story.
That’s how it read to me. Democrat rat
LOL I thought at first it was a story about Birmingham, AL and Democrats greeting H1B's from India LOL
Yeah, it's a mystery why both engines quit after the fuel cutoff switches were intentionally thrown...
I’m sure the maintenance on an Air India 787 is nothing but “top notch”.
I recall as a Plane Captain, when preparing to launch, we had to signal the pilot to verify that the RAT would deploy before completing our checklist and sending them to the catapult...I believe the hand signal was to place the closed fist on the shoulder with the elbow pointing to your side (as if showing your flexed bicep to someone standing in front of you) then straightening the arm directly to your side in the horizontal position with the palm of the closed fist facing up to mimic the RAM Deploying.
Then you would give a thumbs up, and retract your arm back to the original position with the fist on the shoulder, and you would watch it to ensure it fully retracted, then give another thumbs up.
I get it confused in my mind with the pre-flight signal (it has been so long I am not sure anymore) to deploy the inflight refueling probe which was to place your closed right fist on your left chest near your left shoulder, and in a sweeping motion to mimic the inflight refueling probe deploying, unfold and extend your arm in the horizontal plane until it is fully horizontal to your right side with the palm of the still closed fist facing to your front.
When the probe is fully extended, you give a thumbs up, and then reverse the motion to put your right fist on your left breast/shoulder, and when it fully retracts, you give another thumbs up and go on to your next item to check.
Funny. For me, I went for decades where I could still do the 16 count manual of arms from memory, but I can’t do it anymore. Same for the Plane Captain preflight check routine. It is all hazy now...:)
Preliminary report indicates that the Captain intentionally crashed it. Suicide.
🤔🤔🤔
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