Aircraft Accident Involving Boeing 787: Examining Its Safety Record - Boeing 787 aircraft safety scrutinized following Air India accident
Crashing Dreamliners: The Unsettling Story of the Boeing 787
Penned by Dexter Daring** reading time: ~ 4 minutes
In a tragedy that unfolded today, an Air India Boeing 787-8, flight AI171, plunged near Ahmedabad airport, taking the lives of its 252 passengers and crew. The doomed airliner was en route from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick. According to Air India, the ill-fated aircraft, named VT-ANB, housed a grave tragedy of human lives.
According to Flightradar24.com, today's crash involved a decade-old Boeing 787-8, branded by the manufacturer as the "Dreamliner". Its two engines, as per Airfleets.net, are General Electric GEnx-1b engines, approved by the US aviation authority in 2008. This is the catastrophic first total loss of a Boeing 787.
Creepy lurking in 2014: VT-ANB's haunting past
The tragedy-stricken VT-ANB dwelt in a past incident in 2014, according to The Aviation Herald. On August 21, 2014, it was forced to return to Delhi after a catastrophic cockpit window shattered mid-flight from Delhi to Kolkata.
The 787-8 Dreamliner is not the cramped cousin of the notorious 737 Max 8, which has seen two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. The Dreamliner debuted in December 2009, although the Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) was the first customer of this long-haul aircraft in 2011. More than a thousand of the three variants of the 787 have been delivered so far, with Lufthansa and others flying this aircraft type. However, since 2022, Lufthansa has opted for the longer version, the 787-9.
So, how safe is the 787? The Aviation Herald has chronicled various incidents, such as engine problems, cracks in cockpit windows, hydraulic leaks, and a weird smell in the cabin cabinet. Such incidents occur worldwide with all types of passenger jets, implying no doubt about the 787's overall safety due to these unpredictable events.
Dark omens shadow the 787: Initial battery concerns
More menacing, however, are incidents that occurred in the early years of the Dreamliner's approval: On January 7, 2013, a battery in a 787 belonging to Japan Airlines (JAL) burst into flames at Boston airport. Thankfully, no one was on board, leaving the impact free of human casualties.
On January 16, 2013, smoke was detected in the cabin of a 787 belonging to All Nippon Airways (ANA). The tragic aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing. The cause was a battery malfunction in both instances. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a complete grounding ban on the Dreamliner. Other regulatory bodies worldwide soon followed suit. Apparently, the batteries had not undergone sufficient testing. The ban was eventfully lifted in April 2013 following technical revisions.
Yet, the aircraft continued to experience difficulties:
In February 2019, news of the fire suppression system issues of the 787 surfaced publicly: Under extreme heat, it was possible that a corresponding switch for activating the system in the cockpit might not function correctly. The FAA issued a warning regarding the "possibility of an uncontrollable fire."
In April 2019, a Boeing engineer reported safety concerns with the 787's fuselage and wing components. Suppliers had not adequately controlled whether the parts met quality standards, raising questions about potential installation of faulty parts.
In August 2020, Boeing grounded eight 787s built in 2019 due to production errors that compromised the plane's rear fuselage section stability.
In September 2020, it was revealed that nearly 900 787s could experience premature fatigue in the rudder area.
Between May 2021 and August 2022, it was impossible to deliver any Dreamliners to customers due to manufacturing flaws.
In February 2023, deliveries were suspended again, this time due to wing assembly issues.
In April 2024, a Boeing engineer addressed the U.S. Senate, testifying that safety issues had beset the production of the 787. "Essentially, they're creating faulty aircraft – I've witnessed grave assembly errors during aircraft fabrication. I've even seen workers jump on the plane to force parts to fit. That was just one of several improper methods." When asked by NBC News if he would board the 787 currently, he retorted: "Not presently."
In May 2024, it was discovered that Boeing employees had apparently forged inspection reports on the aircraft. While inspections of the fuselage-to-wing joint were certified, they had actually been omitted.
Boeing has doggedly affirmed that the aircraft is safe. Hopefully, investigations will clarify the truth behind the catastrophic tragedy.
The Accursed Air India:
In March 2019, a sudden cabin pressure loss was experienced on an Air India 787 flight from Delhi to Frankfurt, prompting the deployment of oxygen masks. At an altitude of around 11,324 feet, the aircraft made an emergency descent and safely returned to Delhi.
In early 2023, an Air India 787 had to make an unexpected landing in Delhi due to problems with the flaps and slats on the wings shortly after takeoff from Delhi to Paris.
Boeing has again emphasized that the Dreamliner is a safe aircraft. Investigations will hopefully clarify the true nature of the tragedy.
The tragic crash involving an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner raises concerns within the aviation industry and finance, potentially impacting the transportation sector as well. This is not the first time VT-ANB, the Air India Dreamliner who experienced a catastrophe in 2014, has been in the news for unfortunate events. This incident underscores the ongoing scrutiny required to ensure the safety of aircraft like the Boeing 787, despite its successful delivery count and widespread use by major airlines.
