Air India Boeing Crash: Report Says Emergency Power System May Have Deployed Mid-Flight, Raising Engine Failure Concerns

According to The Wall Street Journal report, there are only a limited number of scenarios where the emergency system, known as the ram air turbine (RAT), can kick in.

Boeing (BA) shares slipped in pre-market trade Thursday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the recent Air India crash involving a 787-8 Dreamliner has raised questions about whether or not the plane’s engines were functioning properly during takeoff.

Boeing’s stock was down 0.7% before the opening bell on Wednesday.

According to the report, investigators believe the emergency power generator was operating when the flight went down, which raises questions about whether or not the plane’s engines were functioning properly at the time of takeoff.

The report added that these preliminary findings have given the investigators a new line of enquiry into the crash that had 242 people on board, and only one survived. The investigators are also reportedly looking into whether the plane suffered a loss or reduction of thrust during takeoff. 

It explained that there are only a limited number of scenarios where the emergency system, known as the ram air turbine (RAT), can kick in. 

The RAT can deploy automatically in flight if both engines fail, all three hydraulic system pressures are low, cockpit instruments lose power, or problems emerge with the aircraft’s electric motor pumps. 

Pilots can also manually deploy the RAT, which, according to the report, is most commonly used when a pilot thinks both engines have failed. This is because the power generated by the RAT can help crucial aircraft components function. 

The report came on the heels of India’s aviation safety watchdog giving a clean chit to Air India’s Boeing (BA) Dreamliner 787 fleet on Tuesday, citing that no major safety concerns emerged from their investigation, but raised concerns regarding maintenance issues.

“The airline was advised to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units, and ensure availability of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays resulting from such issues and strictly adhere to regulations,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.

The official death toll from the Air India crash has not yet been released, but local media reports indicate at least 290 fatalities.

Stocktwits data shows that retail chatter around Boeing’s stock has increased 110% over the past week, as speculation around the cause of the Air India Boeing Crash continues to mount.

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