On the solemn one-month anniversary of the nation’s deadliest aviation disaster in over a decade, investigators have confirmed that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT)—a last-resort emergency power system—was deployed seconds after the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lifted off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary crash report on Saturday, offering the first detailed glimpse into the catastrophe that killed everyone but one passanger on board and several people on the ground. The death toll hit a final tally of 261 with 60 more individuals injured in the accident.
The report cites CCTV footage from the airport that shows clearly that RAT was deployed. However, among multiple other factors that likely led to the disaster of the scale, the technology was not enough to save the aircraft.
What is a Ram Air Turbine?
The Ram Air Turbine, or RAT, is one of aviation’s unsung lifesavers. It is a small windmill-like device stowed within the fuselage or wing.
If a plane loses all normal electrical power, the RAT automatically pops out into the slipstream, spins rapidly, and generates just enough hydraulic or electrical power to keep critical flight controls and instruments alive.
Read Also | Air India crash report: Probe tracks engine switch movement; no immediate action for Boeing or GE Aerospace
Over the past five decades, RATs have been credited with saving more than 2,400 lives worldwide.
Heart of an aircraft's emergency power system
While the RAT cannot power everything onboard, it provides sufficient backup to:
Last nail in the coffin
The fact that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was seen deploying almost immediately after lift-off is a critical and troubling detail.
Under normal circumstances, RATs are designed to activate only after a catastrophic loss of all main electrical power—usually the result of dual engine failure, a severe electrical fault, or a combination of both.
The deployment so early in the flight strongly indicates that the Dreamliner suffered an abrupt and near-total power loss during its initial climb—one of the most perilous phases of any flight.
Read Also | Air India crash report: The unanswered questions in govt's 15-page preliminary findings into AI-171 tragedy
Adding to the complexity, initial findings noted that the aircraft’s engine fuel cutoff switches were moved from “cutoff” to “run” within mere seconds of each other just before the crash. While investigators have not directly linked this switch sequence to the cause of the accident, it remains a focus of the inquiry.
At this stage, investigators have not determined whether the sudden loss of power was triggered by:
A crucial distinction is that RATs are not designed to replace engine power entirely.
While they can keep vital systems alive, they deliver just enough juice to maintain basic control, not to sustain a climb or power cabin comforts.
That is why a RAT deployment in the first seconds of flight is so alarming—pilots had almost no margin for recovery.
A flight that ended in flames
At precisely 13:08:39 IST on June 12, the London-bound Dreamliner thundered down the runway in Ahmedabad, carrying 54,200 kilograms of fuel and a take-off weight that fell well within the aircraft’s certified limits.
But within mere moments of lifting off, the cockpit voice recorder captured a chilling and chaotic sequence. The engine fuel control switches were moved abruptly—shut off and then turned back on again in rapid succession. Almost immediately afterward, one of the pilots broadcast the desperate distress call: “Mayday, mayday, mayday.”
Tragically, no response was received from Air Traffic Control before the aircraft lost altitude and plummeted to the ground in a fireball.
Investigators later quarantined both engines for detailed examination, while fuel samples drawn from the aircraft’s tanks and refuelling bowsers were analysed and found to meet all specifications.
Read Also | Air India crash report: From fuel control shutoff in a second to pilots' MAYDAY call, check key findings
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)—an agency under Ministry of Civil Aviation—is leading the investigation. It is coordinating closely with the aircraft and engine manufacturers to dissect every facet of the disaster, from technical failures and operational decisions to human factors in the cockpit.
This catastrophic event marks the first-ever hull loss—the aviation industry’s term for the total destruction of an airframe—involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the world’s best-selling wide-body jets and a flagship of modern commercial aviation.
A final report will be released after investigators complete a painstaking analysis of the flight data recorders and cockpit voice recordings, in hopes of unraveling exactly how a routine departure turned into the deadliest aviation accident in over a decade.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary crash report on Saturday, offering the first detailed glimpse into the catastrophe that killed everyone but one passanger on board and several people on the ground. The death toll hit a final tally of 261 with 60 more individuals injured in the accident.
The report cites CCTV footage from the airport that shows clearly that RAT was deployed. However, among multiple other factors that likely led to the disaster of the scale, the technology was not enough to save the aircraft.
What is a Ram Air Turbine?
The Ram Air Turbine, or RAT, is one of aviation’s unsung lifesavers. It is a small windmill-like device stowed within the fuselage or wing.
If a plane loses all normal electrical power, the RAT automatically pops out into the slipstream, spins rapidly, and generates just enough hydraulic or electrical power to keep critical flight controls and instruments alive.
Read Also | Air India crash report: Probe tracks engine switch movement; no immediate action for Boeing or GE Aerospace
Over the past five decades, RATs have been credited with saving more than 2,400 lives worldwide.
Heart of an aircraft's emergency power system
While the RAT cannot power everything onboard, it provides sufficient backup to:
- Move the control surfaces so pilots can steer
- Keep navigation and communication systems functioning
- Operate essential cockpit instruments
Last nail in the coffin
The fact that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was seen deploying almost immediately after lift-off is a critical and troubling detail.
Under normal circumstances, RATs are designed to activate only after a catastrophic loss of all main electrical power—usually the result of dual engine failure, a severe electrical fault, or a combination of both.
The deployment so early in the flight strongly indicates that the Dreamliner suffered an abrupt and near-total power loss during its initial climb—one of the most perilous phases of any flight.
Read Also | Air India crash report: The unanswered questions in govt's 15-page preliminary findings into AI-171 tragedy
Adding to the complexity, initial findings noted that the aircraft’s engine fuel cutoff switches were moved from “cutoff” to “run” within mere seconds of each other just before the crash. While investigators have not directly linked this switch sequence to the cause of the accident, it remains a focus of the inquiry.
At this stage, investigators have not determined whether the sudden loss of power was triggered by:
- A complete or partial engine shutdown
- A critical failure in the electrical generation systems
- Or inadvertent human error involving the fuel control switches
A crucial distinction is that RATs are not designed to replace engine power entirely.
While they can keep vital systems alive, they deliver just enough juice to maintain basic control, not to sustain a climb or power cabin comforts.
That is why a RAT deployment in the first seconds of flight is so alarming—pilots had almost no margin for recovery.
A flight that ended in flames
At precisely 13:08:39 IST on June 12, the London-bound Dreamliner thundered down the runway in Ahmedabad, carrying 54,200 kilograms of fuel and a take-off weight that fell well within the aircraft’s certified limits.
But within mere moments of lifting off, the cockpit voice recorder captured a chilling and chaotic sequence. The engine fuel control switches were moved abruptly—shut off and then turned back on again in rapid succession. Almost immediately afterward, one of the pilots broadcast the desperate distress call: “Mayday, mayday, mayday.”
Tragically, no response was received from Air Traffic Control before the aircraft lost altitude and plummeted to the ground in a fireball.
Investigators later quarantined both engines for detailed examination, while fuel samples drawn from the aircraft’s tanks and refuelling bowsers were analysed and found to meet all specifications.
Read Also | Air India crash report: From fuel control shutoff in a second to pilots' MAYDAY call, check key findings
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)—an agency under Ministry of Civil Aviation—is leading the investigation. It is coordinating closely with the aircraft and engine manufacturers to dissect every facet of the disaster, from technical failures and operational decisions to human factors in the cockpit.
This catastrophic event marks the first-ever hull loss—the aviation industry’s term for the total destruction of an airframe—involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the world’s best-selling wide-body jets and a flagship of modern commercial aviation.
A final report will be released after investigators complete a painstaking analysis of the flight data recorders and cockpit voice recordings, in hopes of unraveling exactly how a routine departure turned into the deadliest aviation accident in over a decade.
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