BOEING 787'S RAT CONUNDRUM

It began as a smooth descent over Birmingham and ended with an unexpected jolt of uncertainty. When the Boeing 787's emergency power turbine sprang open uncommanded, it set off a chain of global questions about engineering discipline, regulatory vigilance, and the fine line between innovation and vulnerability.

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The final approach of Air India flight AI117 into Birmingham Airport on October 4, 2025, appeared routine until it was not. As the aircraft descended toward touchdown, at what has been reported as approximately 1,600 feet, a small propeller-driven device, the ram air turbine (RAT), unexpectedly deployed from underneath the fuselage of the Boeing 787 8 (registration VT-ANO). The RAT is designed as an aircraft's last-ditch emergency power source, to drop automatically in the event of total engine failure or catastrophic electrical loss. Yet on AI117, crew and systems reported normal engine and electrical parameters, and the aircraft landed safely. Nevertheless, the uncommanded deployment triggered a deep regulatory inquiry, exposing what appears to be a persistent global pattern of technical irregularity, raising urgent questions about maintenance regimes, supply-chain integrity and the reliability of one of Boeing's flagship wide-body aircraft.

It may be mentioned that the Boeing 787 family entered commercial service in 2011 and has become a major long-haul workhorse, with over 1,100 aircraft in service globally. The Dreamliner benefits from advanced composite airframe design, modern systems, and improved fuel efficiency compared with older wide-body jets.

However, in recent months, concerns have risen around its emergency systems RAT, a small deployable turbine that drops into the airstream in the event of a major electrical or hydraulic failure (or dual engine failure) and serves as a backup power / hydraulic source. In normal operations, it should not deploy.