Pilots' body asks DGCA to thoroughly check electrical system of all Boeing 787 planes
Mumbai (PTI): The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Sunday urged aviation safety regulator DGCA to thoroughly check and investigate the electrical system of all Boeing 787 aircraft in the country.
The pilots' body wrote a letter to DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) a day after a Boeing 787 plane operated by Air India from Amritsar to Birmingham saw deployment of emergency turbine power when it was about to land in the UK city.
According to Air India, the operating crew of its Amritsar-Birmingham flight reported that the Boeing 787's Ram Air Turbine (RAT) unexpectedly deployed during the final approach on October 4, but the aircraft landed safely.
In the Air India aircraft incident, the Aircraft Health Monitoring (AHM) picked up a fault of Bus Power Control Unit (BPCU), which may have caused the auto deployment of RAT, FIP President G S Randhawa said in the letter to DGCA.
"The (Birmingham flight) incident occurred when the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed automatically at 500 ft on approach into Birmingham... the Aircraft Health Monitoring (AHM) has picked up a fault of the Bus Power Control Unit (BPCU) which may have caused the auto deployment of RAT," the pilots' body, which claims to represent over 5000 cockpit crew members, said in the letter.
BPCU manages an aircraft's electrical power system.
RAT deploys automatically in the eventuality of a dual engine failure or total electronic or hydraulic failure. It uses wind speed to generate emergency power.
Engine or hydraulic/electrical failure or software malfunction are being cited as among the several probable causes of the Air India Boeing 787 plane crash in June this year.
"There have been numerous incidents on B-787 aircraft. We have strongly taken up with the Civil Aviation Ministry and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to thoroughly check the electrical system of all B-787 aircraft in the country.
"After the Air India -171 crash, the FIP has been constantly insisting on thorough check up of the electrical system of B-787 aircraft in the country. Subsequent to the crash, DGCA checked only the fuel control switches of B-787 in Air India (fleet)," FIP said in the letter.
On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787 aircraft operating flight AI 171 en route to London Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel complex soon after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 241 persons who were onboard the plane.
AAIB, which is probing the crash, had said in its preliminary report in July this year that the engine fuel control switches of the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 plane were cut off seconds after lift-off, with one of the pilots asking the other why did he cut off, and the latter responding saying he did not do so.
"It is pertinent to note that incident in another pointer towards the Air India crash of B-787 aircraft. Thus, in the interest of air safety FIP insists that DGCA must thoroughly check and investigate the electrical system of B-787 aircraft in the country," the Federation said in the letter.
US aircraft maker Boeing has been maintaining silence on one of the deadliest air crashes in India in the last three decades.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
