Boeing 787’s emergency-power system likely active before Air India crash, WSJ reports
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The system generates electricity and hydraulic pressure to ensure pilots can control the plane even if both engines fail.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI - Investigators believe the Air India Boeing 787 had its emergency-power generator operating when it crashed last week in Ahmedabad
Boeing said it will defer to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau for comment. Engine maker GE Aerospace did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
India’s federal civil aviation ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ e-mail seeking comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the WSJ report.
The system, known as the ram air turbine, generates electricity and hydraulic pressure to ensure pilots can control the plane even if both engines fail.
The preliminary finding raises questions about whether the plane’s engines functioned properly during take-off, the report said. The 787 Dreamliner was fitted with GE’s GEnx engines.
The Boeing 787-8 carrying 242 people bound for Britain’s Gatwick Airport began losing altitude seconds after take-off. All but one passenger died in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade, with around 30 ground fatalities.
India’s aviation safety watchdog
