DGCA seeks detailed report from Boeing after reinspecting RAT stowage
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New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Air India to re-examine certain maintenance procedures for its fleet, particularly the inspection of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) stowage compartments on specific aircraft.
The order came in response to a recent safety incident when the emergency RAT device on an Amritsar–Birmingham Air India flight deployed unexpectedly at an altitude of 400 feet during landing.
Officials said the malfunction, which occurred on a Boeing 787 aircraft, has raised serious alarm within the aviation regulator, especially since the same emergency mechanism had activated before the fatal crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 260 people.
The regulator has asked the aircraft manufacturer Boeing for a comprehensive report outlining the preventive measures it was implementing in respect of the un-commanded RAT deployment on the Birmingham flight.
According to a source, the airline has been told to review the “D Check” maintenance process — one of the most extensive inspections — particularly in cases where the Power Conditioning Module (PCM) is replaced. The PCM is responsible for powering digital systems that control the RAT’s activation, TNIE reported.
The DGCA has also instructed Air India to carry out fresh inspections of the RAT storage compartments on aircraft that have recently undergone PCM replacements.
In addition, the regulator has sought a detailed technical report from Boeing, asking the manufacturer to specify what preventive measures are being taken to address the issue of unintended RAT deployment. Boeing had earlier circulated a fleet-wide advisory listing similar incidents. The DGCA has requested more information about these events and has also asked Boeing to share any service difficulty reports filed by airlines globally following PCM replacements.