A few years back, the US watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had stopped deliveries of the Dreamliners due to certain issues but the plane was never involved in any fatal crash till Thursday
New Delhi: The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, known for its advanced technology and fuel efficiency, has reportedly faced several technical and safety issues worldwide over the years.
On Thursday, one of these aircraft, operated by Air India as flight AI 171, crashed shortly after takeoff. The plane, headed to London’s Gatwick Airport, was carrying 242 people on board, including 10 crew members.
While the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is widely used for long-haul international flights and is considered a modern and efficient aircraft, it has had a history of safety concerns.
A few years back, the US watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had stopped deliveries of the Dreamliners due to certain issues but the plane was never involved in any fatal crash till Thursday.
When it comes to India, Air India had problems with Dreamliners due to battery issues back in 2013.
The battery troubles had also forced then government-owned Air India to briefly ground its fleet of Dreamliners. At that time, the carrier had around six such planes.
Also, the airline had received compensation from Boeing for the issues.
Boeing, which has faced multiple headwinds in recent years, describes B787 as the “best selling passenger wide-body of all time”.
In 2013, the entire global fleet of Dreamliners was grounded after incidents of lithium-ion battery fires, including one on a parked Japan Airlines jet in Boston and another mid-air emergency in Japan.
These incidents led the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to suspend Dreamliner operations until Boeing redesigned the battery system.
In 2024, Boeing again came under scrutiny after whistleblower Sam Salehpour, an engineer at the company, reportedly told the US Senate about structural problems in the Dreamliner’s fuselage.
He claimed that small gaps and improper assembly could cause early wear and possible structural failure. The FAA launched an investigation, which is still ongoing.
Despite being marketed as one of the safest and most advanced aircraft in the skies, the Dreamliner has been linked to several technical faults.
In March this year, a Boeing 787-9, operated by LATAM Airlines, experienced a sudden altitude drop mid-flight, injuring 50 people. The cause was later identified as a malfunction in the cockpit seat.
Over the years, pilots have also reported issues such as engine icing, fuel leaks, generator failures, and electrical system faults.
According to Flightradar24 data, the plane that crashed on Thursday made its first flight in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014.
The cause of the plane crash in Ahmedabad is still under investigation by Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The Central government has promised full support for rescue and relief efforts. The number of casualties was yet to be confirmed.
Air-safety experts have noted some anomalies in the short flight, based on the video footage. Clips that emerged showed the landing gear extended after takeoff, and flaps on the trailing edge of the wings — used to generate lift at lower speeds — may have mistakenly been raised. The 787 aircraft, bound for London, crashed just seconds after takeoff, exploding into a huge fireball.
The miraculous survival of one passenger, Ramesh Vishwaskumar is also unexplained. Vishwaskumar, who was seated in the first row of economy class, may be able to offer valuable clues as to what caused the accident.
It appeared as if the 787 Dreamliner wasn’t able to achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of an 11,000-foot runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co.
That could stem from a misconfiguration of the plane prior to takeoff or erroneous weight data entered into the plane’s computer system that determines how much power is needed to get off the ground, he said. Mann cautioned that his views were unofficial and not corroborated by data or cockpit voice recorders.
“If the weight is high compared to the actual number, you end up with a very aggressive takeoff,” Mann said. “If the weight is low compared to the actual, you end up with not enough commanded power.”
The pilots in command issued a mayday call immediately after takeoff to air traffic controllers, according to India’s civil aviation regulator. According to the Telegraph newspaper, they signaled that the 787 was losing power.
Over 1,100 Dreamliners criss-crossing skies; a flight path of connectivity & now a crash
Considered an airline’s work horse for long-haul flights, Boeing’s Dreamliners took to the skies 14 years ago and now, more than 1,100 such planes are in service.
And the Air India plane crash on Thursday that snuffed out the lives of 241 people onboard was also the first time that the best-selling wide-body Dreamliner or Boeing 787 suffered a fatal accident resulting in hull loss.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft — VT-ANB — involved in the crash was 11.5 years old and had flown for more than 41,000 hours, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
There are 1,148 Boeing 787 variants in service globally, with an average age of 7.5 years, it said.
Currently, Air India and IndiGo are the two Indian airlines operating the B787 planes.
Of the 34 B787s in the Air India fleet, 27 B787-8s are legacy aircraft. The first of the legacy B787-8 is slated to go for retrofit in July. The remaining seven B 787-9 joined the Air India fleet after the merger of Vistara with it last year.
Globally, the Ahmedabad crash is the first time that hull loss has happened for a B787 aircraft, according to an official.
Cirium on Thursday said the aircraft operated its first flight on December 14, 2013.
The plane was delivered to Air India on January 28, 2014, and it was 11.5 years old.
“The aircraft had 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats. It had more than 41,000 hours of flying time, and almost 8,000 takeoffs and landings, including some 700 cycles in the past 12 months. This is average for that aircraft build year/period,” Cirium said.
Air India, which is expanding its fleet and overseas network, has an additional 20 B787s on order and a letter of intent for options for an additional 24 aircraft, as per Cirium.
Recently, IndiGo started operating a B787 leased from Norwegian carrier Norse Atlantic. IndiGo is to lease a total of six such planes for long-haul operations.
The Dreamliners come in three models — 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10. The 787-8 has a range of up to 13,530 kilometres.
The plane’s length is 57 metres, height is 17 metres and the wingspan is 60 metres, as per Boeing website.
The Dreamliner fleet has carried more than 1 billion passengers in less than 14 years, faster than any other wide-body jet in aviation history, according to the aircraft maker’s website.
“A lighter and robust composite structure enables airlines to reduce fuel use by up to 25 per cent compared to the airplanes it replaces. The 787 has unlocked more than 425 new non-stop routes around the world, many of which were never served previously,” it says.
Based on the number of people on board, this is the worst commercial airline crash since Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, which was shot down over Ukraine, killing 298 people, according to Aviation Safety Network, which tracks fatal crashes. The last crash of this magnitude for Air India was Flight 182 in 1985. That Boeing 747 aircraft was destroyed by a bomb over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 329 people on board.
Boeing has been involved in several accidents in recent years, including two fatal crashes with Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019. Early last year, a nearly-new 737 Max aircraft lost a door panel during flight. While there were no fatalities, the accident plunged the company into a deep crisis.
With inputs from Agencies