An Air India Boeing Dreamliner flying Amritsar to Birmingham has been grounded after its emergency turbine deployed mid-descent on Saturday, it has been reported. “The landing was safe in Birmingham. All electrical and hydraulic components were found to be working normally,” Air India was quoted as saying in Indian media. The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system is a fan-like device which automatically deploys when aircrafts lose power, instead using incoming wind as a way to generate emergency energy.
The aircraft was the same model as the one involved in the horror Ahmedabad plane crash in June, which killed all crew members and all but one of its 230 passengers moments after the RAT system was similarly deployed. Air India confirmed that the Amritsar-Birmingham flight’s electrical and hydraulic systems were functioning as normal upon landing but the jet has nonetheless been grounded for further inspection.
A spokesperson for Air India said: “The operating crew of flight AI117 from Amritsar to Birmingham on October 4 detected deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) of the aircraft during its final approach.
“All electrical and hydraulic parameters were found normal, and the aircraft performed a safe landing at Birmingham.
“The aircraft has been grounded for further checks and consequently, AI114 from Birmingham to Delhi has been cancelled and alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate the guests.
“At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remains top priority.”
It comes months after a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college in Ahmedabad just seconds after taking off from the city’s airport on June 12.
241 people onboard were killed, including 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in history in terms of British fatalities.
Alongside those onboard, another 19 people died and 67 were seriously injured.