
Air India Crash: U.S. Expert Cites RAT Deployment, Suggests Dual Engine Failure
Air India Plane Crash: Ex-US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner revisits the Air India Boeing 787 crash theory, flagging the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment as crucial evidence.
Air India Plane Crash: On 12 June 2025, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick tragically crashed seconds after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of 241 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
The Air India aircraft, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, lost contact less than a minute after departure and impacted a residential area near the airport. Two black boxes were recovered, but the exact cause of the crash remains unknown. However, aviation expert and former US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner has highlighted the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) as a significant clue in his recent YouTube analysis.
Who is Captain Steve?
An aviation expert and YouTuber, Captain Steve is an aviator with over three decades of flying experience, having served as a US Navy pilot specializing in submarine hunting with the P-3 Orion before transitioning to a commercial career with American Airlines.
According to his YouTube channel, he accumulated more than 14,000 hours of flight time and concluded his 36-year career with American Airlines in September 2022, completing his final flight with the airline.
Veteran Aviator Revises Air India Plane Crash Theory
Former US Navy pilot and aviation expert Captain Steve Scheibner revisited his analysis of the Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad, highlighting the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) as a crucial clue.

Drawing upon newly surfaced, clearer video footage, Captain Steve asserted, “There was some sort of dual engine failure”. Captain Steve has flown a wide range of aircraft, including the Boeing 727, 737, 757, 767, and 777 series, according to several media reports.
Visual Evidence: RAT Deployment
The enhanced video reveals a small grey dot beneath the aircraft, which Captain Steve identifies as the RAT.
The US aviation expert, and an Air Force and Air National Guard pilot, flying aircraft, explained, “In the middle of the circle, you see kind of a protrusion on the belly of the aircraft… just underneath that you see a little grey dot… that little grey dot is the RAT. This is visual confirmation that the RAT deployed”.
Audio Confirmation: The High-Pitched Squeal
Further supporting his theory, Captain Steve, who has flown the Vought A-7D/K Corsair II and the Lockheed F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, pointed to the audio from the original crash video, noting, “You can hear it. It sounds like a high-pitched prop, like a little Cessna going by.”