Boeing 787 Dreamliner's emergency system likely active before Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad: Report

Boeing 787 Dreamliner's emergency system likely active before Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad: Report

Boeing 787 Dreamliner's emergency system likely active before Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad: Report ByHT News Desk Jun 18, 2025 11:14 PM IST Read this news in brief form Share Via Copy Link Investigators believe the Boeing Dreamliner had its emergency-power generator operating during the Air India crash in Ahmedabad.

Amid probes into the Air India plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad that killed 270 people, investigators believe the Boeing Dreamliner had its emergency-power generator operating when it crashed, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the probe.

Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad.(AFP)

The Wall Street Journal reported that preliminary findings into the probe have stated that the emergency system of the 787 Dreamliner - called the ram air turbine - was likely to be active at the time of the crash in Ahmedabad.

Citing Dreamliner's manual, WSJ reported that the emergency system of the aircraft can “deploy automatically in flight if both engines have failed or if all three hydraulic system pressures are low”.

Also Read: 66 Dreamliner flights cancelled since fatal Air India crash that killed 270

Anthony Brickhouse, a US-based aerospace safety consultant, told WSJ that pilots can also deploy the emergency system manually if needed.

Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick airport took off on June 12 from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, only to crash moments later.

As per the initial findings, the flight reached an altitude of 625 feet in the air before it stopped transmitting data. The incident also marked the first fatal accident for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since it first came into the market in 2011. 

Also Read: ‘Mayday!': Air India pilot's final message before Ahmedabad plane crash

The last mayday call from the pilot also stated that the plane was unable to achieve any thrust as it crashed a few kilometres away into a hostel of BJ Medical college.

The flight was carrying of total of 242 passengers, including 12 cabin crew. Of the 242 people, only one passenger - Vishwas Kumar Ramesh - survived the plane crash.

The plane crash also killed a total of 29 people on ground when it crashed into the medical student's hostel.