The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in a recent safety alerm, has reportedly raised concerns about possible defects in the ram air turbine (RAT) forward fittings on select Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft, following alerts from several suppliers that the parts may have been made using inferior-quality titanium.
The Times of India reported that following the FAA’s concerns, operators of Boeing 787-9 and B787-10 models will have to check their RAT forward fittings to “address the unsafe condition”. The FAA proposal came following reports indicating the same “were possibly manufactured with an incorrect titanium alloy material”.
The Tata-owned erstwhile Vistara has seven Boeing 787-9 aircraft in its fleet that are now flying for Air India.
This condition, “if not addressed, could result in loss of backup hydraulic and/or electrical power as well as the RAT module departing (snapping off) from the airplane,” the report quoted the FAA as saying.
A RAT is a small, foldable turbine in aircraft that provides emergency power during system failures. It deploys into the airstream and generates electricity or hydraulic pressure using airflow. RAT ensures essential functions like flight controls and navigation remain operational if main power sources fail.
The RAT was deployed on Air India flight 171, which crashed in Ahmedabad seconds after take-off on June 12.
The pre-merger Air India operates Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner variants (including the one involved in the Ahmedabad crash) and might not be subject to this inspection, the report added.
“We issued guidance to our B787-9 and B787-10 customers in Feb 2025 and fully support the FAA’s proposal to make that guidance mandatory. The in-service fleet can continue normal operations,” the newspaper reported, citing a statement from Boeing.
The FAA said, “The titanium material that was possibly used is a Grade 1 or 2 commercially pure unalloyed titanium, which has significantly reduced strength, fatigue and damage tolerance properties… A RAT forward fitting that was possibly manufactured with the incorrect titanium alloy material could fail when the RAT is deployed.”
“The FAA is issuing this ‘notice of proposed rule-making’ after determining that the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design,” it added.
According to some reports, the FAA warned that this discrepancy could result in failures during RAT deployment. If this scenario occurs, it could compromise the backup power supply or even lead to the RAT detaching during flight. The ramifications for in-flight safety are significant, even though the number of affected aircraft is currently limited.
