Air India Ahmedabad plane crash sparks aircraft safety concerns: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's past technical issues resurface
In a tragic incident, an Air India flight operating from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. According to the Gujarat State Police Control Room, the aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying a total of 242 passengers, including 52 British, 6 Portuguese, 1 Canadian and 12 crew members on board. Reports suggest a history of technical issues in the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
The flight, AI-171, was en route to London Gatwick and departed from Runway 23 at 1:39 PM IST. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the plane issued a MAYDAY call immediately after takeoff but failed to respond to further air traffic control communications.
Soon after this, the aircraft crashed just outside the airport perimeter, and thick black smoke engulfed the sky.
Tragic AI Ahmbd -London crashes London bound AI 171 Boeing 787*plane crashed into under construction buil*ahmedabad airport air india plane crash* ahmedabad civil hospital on high alertAs per local police more than 200ppl feared on board. Plan crashes soon after take off… pic.twitter.com/O839kEHeR4
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had a history of technical issues
In recent years, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner model faced multiple recurring technical scrutiny. Moreover, according to an earlier report by the Economic Times, they have compiled a repeated diversion of a Dreamliner with registration code N819N due to hydraulic leaks and flap malfunctions.
This led to multiple flight cancellations in the period of 25 days earlier this year. Apart from this, Sam Salehpour, the Boeing engineer and whistleblower, had raised alarms before in major US outlets, including The New York Times and CNN, claiming that the company took manufacturing shortcuts on both 777 and 787 Dreamliner models.
A Reddit post goes viral with similar claims
Soon after the news of the Air India plane crash surfaced on the internet, it quickly went viral, and a Reddit post with the caption "Air India AI171 crash — same flight had a technical fault in Dec 2024" caught the attention of netizens.
The post shared by user @ExternalWeb9441 quoted, "I was randomly scrolling through Instagram and found an old post from Ahmedabad Mirror, dated 13th December 2024, saying the same flight was cancelled back then due to a technical fault."
"Now I don't know if it's the same aircraft or not, but it's the same route, same number of passengers, and the same airline. And if it is the same aircraft, then it seriously raises questions — was this a fault that was never properly fixed? How did it get cleared to fly?"
Reacting to the lengthy post, one said, "It's a 787. There very well could be more. Plus civilian casualties. Horrible tragedy."
"13th December 2024 flight was operated by aircraft VT-ANO whereas today's flight was being done by VT-ANB. I highly doubt these incidents are related," another added.
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