RAT Deployment, CVR Anomaly: Pilots' Body Flags 5 Theories Pointing To A Systemic Boeing 787 Failure In AI-171 Crash
· Free Press Journal
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) once again challenged the preliminary findings of the investigation into the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad last year. The pilots’ body stressed five theories indicating a deeper fault in the aircraft’s electrical system and contradicting the pilot’s deliberate-action narrative.
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The Free Press Journal had reported on Sunday that the FIP had written to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), revealing the results of 10 rounds of highly sophisticated Level-D Boeing 787 simulator tests, conducted in collaboration with the US-based Beasley Allen Law Firm.
Level-D simulators represent the absolute pinnacle of flight simulation technology, replicating real-world aircraft behavior, physics, and cockpit environments with over 95% fidelity.
The data, gleaned from these exhaustive reconstructions as well as from AAIB’s preliminary report, has led the FIP to present five distinct technical theories, each suggesting that a massive electrical anomaly sealed the fate of the aircraft. At a press conference in Mumbai on Friday, the federation’s president Capt. CS Randhawa strongly pointed towards a catastrophic, systemic electrical failure on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner rather than the sequence of events currently outlined by investigators.
The RAT Deployment Discrepancy
The official preliminary report states that AI-171's Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency wind-driven generator that provides basic electrical and hydraulic power if both engines fail,
deployed within a normal window of four seconds following a total fuel cut-off. However, the FIP’s Level-D simulator tests demonstrated that it would take 12 seconds just for the engines to spool down sufficiently, followed by another six seconds for the RAT to physically deploy – a total gap of 18 seconds.
Furthermore, the FIP highlighted a deeply concerning trend of 31 documented instances of uncommanded or accidental RAT deployments on the Boeing 787 platform globally, including a previous incident involving an Air India aircraft. This suggests a known vulnerability in the jet's complex electrical architecture.
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) Anomalies
The FIP president highlighted a red flag that emerged from the audio log analysis, as the recorded conversation between the flight crew was unattributed to any individual pilot. Aviation experts point out that this pattern occurs when audio is pulled entirely from the cockpit’s overhead area microphone, rather than from the pilots' individual hot-mic headphones.
The FIP asserts that a sudden, severe electrical failure likely knocked out the primary power to the pilots’ headset recording channels, forcing the CVR to rely solely on residual overhead power.
Sluggish Takeoff and Lack of Positive Climb
Eyewitness accounts and telemetry data indicate the aircraft suffered an unusually long takeoff roll. Even after breaking ground, the Boeing 787 failed to achieve a positive climb – the standard, safe upward trajectory after lifting off.
Crucially, the landing gears remained fully extended well after takeoff. On modern more-electric jets like the 787, landing gear retraction and flight control sequencing rely heavily on automated electrical signals. A major power failure or bus breakdown during rotation would leave the heavy gear dangling, severely increasing drag and preventing the aircraft from climbing.
The Inverse Destruction of the DFDR
The physical condition of the aircraft's two Digital Flight Data Recorders (DFDR) presents a stark, illogical paradox if viewed through the lens of a standard crash fire. Although the nose and front fuselage took the brunt of the impact and were heavily incinerated, the forward DFDR survived with minimal damage. To the contrary, despite the tail segment of the aircraft remaining structurally intact and suffering no external burn damage from the post-crash fire, the rear DFDR located in the tail was completely burned down and destroyed.
The FIP argued that this is classic evidence of an internal electrical fire that tore through the rear electronics bay independently of the crash impact.
Air India Express Flight Returns To Kannur After Technical Snag, 180 Passengers Safe Following Precautionary LandingEyewitness Testimony of System Failure
The technical theories are heavily supported by the chilling testimony of Vishwaskumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the disaster. Ramesh reportedly heard a "loud bang" shortly before the crash, which the FIP notes is highly characteristic of a major arc fault or explosion within the aircraft's high-voltage electrical distribution bays.
Ramesh also confirmed that the cabin lights were flickering aggressively during the takeoff roll. According to Randhawa, this is a textbook symptom of an unstable or failing electrical grid on the aircraft.
Pressing for Answers
The FIP's findings raised urgent questions about how the Dreamliner handles a cascading electrical grid failure during critical phases of flight. At the press conference, FIP demanded that the AAIB conduct independent simulator tests before publishing the final investigation report and also suggested grounding the Boeing 787 fleet.
“All these theories suggest that the pilots never touched the fuel control switches and they would have moved on their own due to an electrical issue. The AAIB should focus on thoroughly inspecting the electrical systems of the 787 aircraft. This is necessary, not only for the AI-171 crash investigation, but for the larger issue of aviation safety,” Randhawa said.