This Thursday, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people, which was scheduled to fly to London, crashed just seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad, a city in western India, resulting in almost all passengers perishing, with only one passenger miraculously surviving. This incident is not only the first crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner since it entered commercial service, but also one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent years.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner: A long-haul model favored by airlines.
The aircraft involved is the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a medium to large-sized twin-aisle passenger aircraft designed for medium to long-haul routes, known for its efficiency and passenger comfort. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, this aircraft made its first flight in December 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014. At the time of the incident, Air India had 34 Dreamliners in operation and planned to purchase at least 20 more to expand its international routes and refresh its fleet.
Currently, there are over 1,100 Dreamliners in service worldwide.
What happened at the moment of the crash?
According to preliminary data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the flight lost signal less than a minute after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM local time.
The aircraft only ascended to a maximum of 625 feet, compared to the airport elevation of about 200 feet, with an unusually slow change in altitude. Witnesses and media reports indicate that the aircraft crashed in a residential area, causing a huge fireball and casualties on the ground. Authorities have not yet released specific numbers regarding the casualties on the ground.
It is currently unclear why the aircraft failed to climb normally. Historically, the causes of aviation accidents may include multiple factors such as mechanical failure, bird strikes, and pilot error.
Investigation direction: black box, flight records, and climate conditions
Investigators have begun searching for the "black box" in the aircraft wreckage, namely the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which will reveal the specific circumstances that occurred during the flight. The investigation will also comprehensively review the aircraft's maintenance records, pilot operation details, wing flap and slat positions, weather conditions (with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius at the time), and the pilot's training and rest situation.
In addition, the investigation will also refer to the surveillance cameras at the time of the airplane To da moon and videos taken by the public to reconstruct the sequence of events.
According to international practice, such investigations are led by the country where the accident occurred—India—and assisted by the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, engine supplier GE Aerospace, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States.
Are past quality concerns related to Dreamliner?
Although the Dreamliner has encountered quality and manufacturing issues in the past, there is currently no evidence indicating that this crash is related to them. Retired U.S. NTSB aviation safety investigator Jeff Guzzetti stated that initial observations are unlikely to be related to production defects.
"This aircraft has been in service for over ten years, and if there were any manufacturing defects, they should have been discovered long ago," Guzzetti said. He added that it is still too early to speculate on the cause of the crash, but "the fact that the aircraft was able to take off smoothly but could not maintain its climb is indeed concerning."
The Dreamliner was briefly grounded in 2013 due to the risk of lithium battery fires, and it was also suspended for a year starting in 2021 due to non-compliance with regulations regarding gaps in fuselage components. In 2024, there were also allegations from a whistleblower claiming that Boeing compromised structural integrity to increase production, but the company denied the allegations.
Boeing hit again: Is the aviation safety trust crisis reappearing?
Since Kelly Ortberg took office as Boeing's CEO in August 2024, he has been committed to restoring the company's tarnished image due to safety and manufacturing scandals. However, in addition to the recent Dreamliner crash, the Boeing 737 Max series has also experienced two fatal accidents and one incident of a door falling off in the past five years, which has continuously impacted the company's reputation.
Nevertheless, the analysis firm Wolfe Research believes that this incident has a limited financial impact on Boeing. The company stated: "Currently, the impact on production and order demand is minimal; unless a clear systemic issue is identified, it is merely a short-term setback in trust."
Boeing currently has about 900 Dreamliner orders on hand. Even though this incident adds more shadow to the company's brand, due to the delivery waiting period for airplanes often taking several years, airlines will still find it difficult to switch to other suppliers in the short term.
This article discusses the crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which resulted in only one survivor, marking the most serious aviation disaster in years. It first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.
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Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed, with only one survivor, marking the worst aviation disaster in years.
This Thursday, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people, which was scheduled to fly to London, crashed just seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad, a city in western India, resulting in almost all passengers perishing, with only one passenger miraculously surviving. This incident is not only the first crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner since it entered commercial service, but also one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent years.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner: A long-haul model favored by airlines.
The aircraft involved is the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a medium to large-sized twin-aisle passenger aircraft designed for medium to long-haul routes, known for its efficiency and passenger comfort. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, this aircraft made its first flight in December 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014. At the time of the incident, Air India had 34 Dreamliners in operation and planned to purchase at least 20 more to expand its international routes and refresh its fleet.
Currently, there are over 1,100 Dreamliners in service worldwide.
What happened at the moment of the crash?
According to preliminary data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the flight lost signal less than a minute after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM local time.
The aircraft only ascended to a maximum of 625 feet, compared to the airport elevation of about 200 feet, with an unusually slow change in altitude. Witnesses and media reports indicate that the aircraft crashed in a residential area, causing a huge fireball and casualties on the ground. Authorities have not yet released specific numbers regarding the casualties on the ground.
It is currently unclear why the aircraft failed to climb normally. Historically, the causes of aviation accidents may include multiple factors such as mechanical failure, bird strikes, and pilot error.
Investigation direction: black box, flight records, and climate conditions
Investigators have begun searching for the "black box" in the aircraft wreckage, namely the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which will reveal the specific circumstances that occurred during the flight. The investigation will also comprehensively review the aircraft's maintenance records, pilot operation details, wing flap and slat positions, weather conditions (with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius at the time), and the pilot's training and rest situation.
In addition, the investigation will also refer to the surveillance cameras at the time of the airplane To da moon and videos taken by the public to reconstruct the sequence of events.
According to international practice, such investigations are led by the country where the accident occurred—India—and assisted by the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, engine supplier GE Aerospace, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States.
Are past quality concerns related to Dreamliner?
Although the Dreamliner has encountered quality and manufacturing issues in the past, there is currently no evidence indicating that this crash is related to them. Retired U.S. NTSB aviation safety investigator Jeff Guzzetti stated that initial observations are unlikely to be related to production defects.
"This aircraft has been in service for over ten years, and if there were any manufacturing defects, they should have been discovered long ago," Guzzetti said. He added that it is still too early to speculate on the cause of the crash, but "the fact that the aircraft was able to take off smoothly but could not maintain its climb is indeed concerning."
The Dreamliner was briefly grounded in 2013 due to the risk of lithium battery fires, and it was also suspended for a year starting in 2021 due to non-compliance with regulations regarding gaps in fuselage components. In 2024, there were also allegations from a whistleblower claiming that Boeing compromised structural integrity to increase production, but the company denied the allegations.
Boeing hit again: Is the aviation safety trust crisis reappearing?
Since Kelly Ortberg took office as Boeing's CEO in August 2024, he has been committed to restoring the company's tarnished image due to safety and manufacturing scandals. However, in addition to the recent Dreamliner crash, the Boeing 737 Max series has also experienced two fatal accidents and one incident of a door falling off in the past five years, which has continuously impacted the company's reputation.
Nevertheless, the analysis firm Wolfe Research believes that this incident has a limited financial impact on Boeing. The company stated: "Currently, the impact on production and order demand is minimal; unless a clear systemic issue is identified, it is merely a short-term setback in trust."
Boeing currently has about 900 Dreamliner orders on hand. Even though this incident adds more shadow to the company's brand, due to the delivery waiting period for airplanes often taking several years, airlines will still find it difficult to switch to other suppliers in the short term.
This article discusses the crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which resulted in only one survivor, marking the most serious aviation disaster in years. It first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.