World News: Plane's Emergency Power System Likely Active Before Air India Crash

 

“Investigators believe Air India Flight 171 had an emergency power generator operating when it crashed last week, raising questions about whether the plane's engines functioned properly during takeoff.

 

The preliminary finding, according to people familiar with the probe, gives investigators a new line of inquiry as they study a crash that killed all but one of the plane's passengers. In all, at least 270 people died after the crash, including some on the ground in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

 

The emergency system is known as a ram air turbine. It is a small propeller that drops from the bottom of the 787 Dreamliner's fuselage to serve as a backup generator.

 

Engines normally produce electricity for an aircraft and help run its flight-control systems. The power generated by the RAT can enable crucial aircraft components to function.

 

The system can deploy automatically in flight if both engines have failed or if all three hydraulic system pressures are low, according to an airline's Boeing 787 manual reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. It can also deploy if cockpit instruments lose power or problems emerge with the aircraft's electric motor pumps.

 

Pilots can manually deploy the RAT if needed. The most common occurrence is when a pilot thinks that both engines failed, said Anthony Brickhouse, a U.S.-based aerospace-safety consultant. Engine failures can result from a variety of causes, including bird strikes or problems with fuel.

 

"In commercial aviation, a dual engine failure is extremely rare," he said. "Our engines today are more efficient and reliable than ever."

 

Plane manufacturer Boeing and engine maker GE Aerospace declined to comment.

 

The Air India flight reached an altitude of 625 feet in clear conditions before it stopped transmitting location data, just 50 seconds into the flight, according to Flightradar24. Efforts to contact the cockpit after it issued a mayday call drew no response.

 

One focus of the investigation has been whether the plane suffered a loss or reduction of thrust, the Journal previously reported.

 

Investigators haven't confirmed whether engine, hydraulic or other problems triggered the emergency system.

 

Findings from the wreckage indicate the aircraft's flaps and other flight-control surfaces had been configured for takeoff, some of the people said.

 

India's Ministry of Civil Aviation said the accident remains under investigation. Probes can last a year or more and often point to a number of factors contributing to a crash, such as possible maintenance errors, crew missteps or design flaws.

 

The Air India crash was the first fatal incident for the 787 Dreamliner, which entered service in 2011. Like other modern aircraft, it is equipped with advanced safety systems that can aid pilots in emergencies.

 

The lone survivor, Viswashkumar Ramesh, had a window seat in an exit row near the front of the plane. In an interview with India's public broadcaster, the British national described a moment after takeoff when the plane seemed to freeze in midair for a few seconds. Then green and white lights came on in the cabin, before the plane slammed into a dormitory for medical-school students. He made it out of an emergency exit before the plane exploded.” [1]

 

1. World News: Plane's Emergency Power System Likely Active Before Air India Crash. Tangel, Andrew; Li, Shan.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 20 June 2025: A16.