As investigators search for answers in the deadly Air India Flight 171 crash, a possible clue has emerged, sources tell the Wall Street Journal: the plane's emergency-power generator was likely active at the time of the crash. It's a "preliminary finding" that "gives investigators a new line of inquiry," per the paper. The emergency system in question is the ram air turbine (RAT), a small wind-powered device that drops from the bottom of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuselage to supply backup electricity and hydraulic power. Typically, the plane's engines provide this power, but the RAT is designed to kick in automatically "if both engines have failed or if all three hydraulic system pressures are low," per the Journal.
Pilots can also deploy it manually, which an aerospace safety consultant tells the paper could happen in instances where they suspect total engine failure—an extremely rare event in modern commercial aviation, he adds. At this stage, investigators have not determined whether engines, hydraulics, or other components may have triggered the RAT.
The investigation is expected to produce a preliminary report within 30 days and a final one in about a year, per international protocol, reports the BBC. A former NTSB official suggests the engine wreckage will provide some quick direction: "You can tell from the damage whether the engines were generating power at impact—turbines fracture differently when spinning at high speed." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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