The Dreamliner has faced years of scrutiny over technical problems but never experienced a fatal accident before this week.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
The crash of an Air India flight on Thursday marked the first fatal crash and total hull loss for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
But the aircraft has faced scrutiny over technical problems for years. Concerns have centered on manufacturing issues and alleged gaps in Boeing’s safety and quality control processes, which first came to light following the crashes of two 737 MAX jets in 2018 and 2019.
The FAA paused deliveries of the 787 for nearly a year between 2021 and 2022 and again briefly in 2023 over problems with various components, including paper-thin gaps in the aircraft’s body. The agency also revoked Boeing’s ability to inspect and issue safety certifications for the Dreamliner.
Whistleblowers who spoke before Congress at the time pointed to alleged shoddy practices at the manufacturer’s South Carolina facility, where the 787 is assembled.
Boeing disputed those accounts and said exhaustive inspections of its aircraft did not support the whistleblowers’ claims. The company also said it had tested the 787’s airframe with stress levels far beyond what it would experience in its normal service life and found no evidence of fatigue.
Earlier, in 2013, the 787 was grounded over problems with its electrical system and lithium-ion batteries, which on multiple occasions overheated and caused fire and smoke. Boeing instituted a fix, and the aircraft was allowed to resume operations.
The cause of Thursday’s accident remains under investigation.
The Dreamliner entered service in 2011 with All Nippon. The aircraft involved in Thursday’s crash, a 787-8, was built in 2013.
There are 1,148 787 aircraft in service globally, with an average age of 7.5 years.
“We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them,” Boeing said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders, and all affected.”
The Air India flight was taking off from an airport in the city of Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick with 242 people on board when it lost altitude and crashed into the campus of a medical college shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time.
Indian officials have confirmed 204 deaths from the crash so far, according to The New York Times. That figure includes five students who were inside the college’s dining hall.
The Tata Group, which owns Air India, confirmed on social media that Air India Flight 171 “was involved in a tragic accident.” It said the aircraft was carrying 169 Indian citizens, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Ahmedabad’s police commissioner has not ruled out the possibility of survivors, the Times reported.
Footage shared with the newspaper showed multiple burned buildings and the aircraft’s tail section jutting out of the rubble.
The last fatal incident on a mainline Air India flight was in 1985, when a bomb planted by separatist terrorists brought down a Boeing 747 over the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, killing 329 people.
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its final report on a midair door plug blowout on an Alaska…
Envoy Air’s process for taking delivery of a new Embraer aircraft spans several months and involves multiple phases of inspection,…
American Airlines’ AstroJet – a Boeing 737-800 adorned with a unique retro livery – returned to revenue service last week.…
