"The mystery behind the Air India plane crash: Why the ‘RAT’ turbine couldn’t save the aircraft despite being present?"

Air India Flight VT-ANB: Why the Emergency ‘RAT’ Turbine Couldn’t Prevent Disaster

✈   On a routine takeoff, Air India Flight VT-ANB experienced a critical emergency—one that unfolded in mere seconds. Shortly after leaving the runway, the aircraft suffered a total loss of power. In response, an automatic safety mechanism was triggered: a small but vital device called the Ram Air Turbine, or RAT. Though the RAT deployed and functioned exactly as it was engineered to, it ultimately could not prevent the tragic outcome.

 ✈   The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is a compact, wind-powered emergency system fitted into modern jets like the Boeing 787. It remains hidden during normal operations and only deploys during rare and severe emergencies. Specifically, the RAT is designed to activate when both the aircraft's main engines and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) simultaneously fail—an extremely rare scenario.

 ✈   When deployed, the RAT uses the airflow generated by the aircraft’s forward motion to spin a small turbine. This turbine, in turn, produces limited hydraulic and electrical power. The power it generates is not enough to fully operate the aircraft or restart the engines, but it is sufficient to support basic but essential systems: primary flight controls, navigation instruments, and cockpit communication systems. These systems give pilots a fighting chance to stabilize the aircraft and attempt an emergency landing.

The mystery behind the Air India plane crash: Why the ‘RAT’ turbine couldn’t save the aircraft despite being present?

       However, there are crucial limitations to what the RAT can do. It is not capable of powering the aircraft’s engines, generating thrust, or restoring full functionality. It serves more as a lifeline to “keep the lights on” during the most critical phase of failure. In the case of VT-ANB, the loss of power came at a dangerously low altitude, leaving little time or space for recovery maneuvers.

       The incident highlights a sobering truth about aviation: even with layers of backup systems and technology, some emergencies can outpace a machine’s ability to recover. In this instance, despite the RAT functioning properly,

        Investigations into such accidents often reveal a combination of contributing factors—mechanical failure, human error, environmental conditions, or a chain reaction of small problems escalating rapidly.