Investigators suspect that the emergency power system on the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner was active when the aircraft crashed last week in Ahmedabad, India, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday (June 18), citing sources familiar with the investigation. The system in question, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), is designed to supply critical electricity and hydraulic pressure to keep the aircraft controllable in case both engines fail.

The WSJ report suggests that this preliminary finding raises concerns about whether the engines were operating correctly during takeoff. The aircraft, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport with 242 people aboard, began to lose altitude shortly after takeoff. The crash resulted in 241 passenger deaths and around 30 casualties on the ground, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.

Boeing declined to comment and deferred to India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Engine manufacturer GE Aerospace also did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and India’s civil aviation ministry has yet to issue a statement. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the WSJ report.

Despite the incident, India’s aviation regulator stated on Tuesday that ongoing oversight of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet had not revealed any significant safety issues. 

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.