All we know about the London-bound Air India plane that crashed near Ahmedabad airport

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is often hailed as a marvel of modern engineering, packed with features meant to keep passengers safe. Unlike older planes with manual cables and pulleys, the 787 uses a digital fly-by-wire system, according to the company's website. Like a high-tech video game controller, pilots give commands, and computers adjust the plane’s wings and tail with pinpoint accuracy. This system has triple backups. If one fails, two more are ready to step in, ensuring the plane stays under control.

Instead of aluminium, the plane’s body is built with composites — materials that are lighter and tougher. This makes the 787 more resistant to wear and tear over time, according to Boeing. On top of that, it has health monitoring systems, like a fitness tracker for an airplane. These gadgets constantly check the plane’s parts and warn the crew if something’s off, helping catch problems before they turn serious.

The 787’s record isn’t spotless. In 2013, just two years after it started flying passengers, the plane hit a major snag. A Japan Airlines 787 caught fire while parked in Boston due to its battery overheating. Days later, United Airlines found wiring issues in the same spot on one of its 787s. Then, an ANA flight from Yamaguchi to Tokyo had to make an emergency landing when the cockpit filled with a burning smell, later traced to another battery fire.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded every 787 in the country for three months - the first such order since 1979. Japan’s airlines, which owned nearly half the fleet back then, followed suit. After fixes to the batteries and their housing, the planes were back in the air.

Then in 2021, a British Airways 787 at London’s Heathrow Airport had its nose gear collapse while parked and loading cargo. No one was hurt, but photos showed the plane awkwardly resting on its nose, with some damage to the gear door.

The most recent incident was in 2024 when a LATAM Airlines 787 flying from Sydney to Auckland suddenly dropped mid-flight. Passengers and crew not buckled in hit the ceiling, injuring 50 people. The plane landed safely, but reports say a flight attendant accidentally bumped a switch on the pilot’s seat, shoving the pilot into the controls. Boeing told airlines to check for loose switch covers on cockpit chairs.

The 787 has faced growing scrutiny beyond these incidents. In 2024, Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour turned whistleblower, testifying before the US Senate. He warned that tiny gaps and sloppy fastening in the plane’s fuselage - the main body - could wear it out faster than expected, risking cracks or worse. Boeing pushed back, calling his claims “inaccurate.” The company said its tests proved the 787 could fly safely for up to 40 or 50 years with regular upkeep.

However, back in 2019, workers at Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina plant, where 787s are built, told The New York Times that they felt rushed and their safety worries were brushed off. Following Salehpour’s allegations in 2024, the paper reported Boeing flunked nearly three dozen FAA audits. The Wall Street Journal added that the US Department of Justice had launched a criminal probe into the company. The FAA’s own investigation is still underway, digging into these and other concerns.

The 787 may have dodged fatal crashes, but Boeing’s broader track record has taken several hits. The 737, one of its most popular models, has been in 529 accidents and incidents, leading to 5,779 deaths and 234 total losses, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

The first deadly crash was in 1972, when United Airlines Flight 553 went down during landing, killing 45 people, including two on the ground. The worst was Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018, when a 737 MAX 8 plunged into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff, claiming 189 lives.