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A LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-8, operating as Flight 603 from Los Angeles International Airport to Santiago, returned to LAX shortly after takeoff due to electronics problems. The aircraft circled over the Pacific Ocean to dump fuel before landing safely. Observers noted that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed during the incident, indicating a significant power system issue.
The flight departed Los Angeles at 16:41 on July 31 and was cleared by air traffic control (ATC) to climb to 23,000 feet. The crew requested to level off at this altitude and later asked to reduce speed. When queried by ATC about their situation, the crew stated, "we have Romea Alpha Tango allotted," confirming that the RAT was deployed. After further discussion with ATC, the pilots decided to return to Los Angeles, descended to 8,000 feet, and dumped fuel for approximately 30 minutes before landing safely on runway 25L. The aircraft then taxied without assistance.
Ground observers reported hearing an unusual sound from the aircraft upon takeoff. An airport mechanic using the name ProjectJSC commented on Reddit: "I was at the airport when the flight took off, and the aircraft sounded like a prop plane. It circled around, dumped fuel and came back and landed safely. I got pictures and a video of it landing, and that's when I realized that the RAT was deployed. I feel that's probably the sound we heard at takeoff. Not sure if it was an engine failure as the plane had both running on landing and both thrust reversers were deployed. Maybe an electrical malfunction."
