US Safety Group Flags Long Trail of Technical Failures in Air India Boeing 787 Before Ahmedabad Crash

New Delhi: A US-based aviation safety advocacy group has alleged that the Air India Boeing 787 aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad in June 2025 had suffered from multiple technical faults throughout its operational life, raising questions about aircraft safety oversight and the handling of systemic issues linked to the Dreamliner fleet.

The Foundation for Aviation Safety (FAS) claimed that the aircraft, registered as VT-ANB, experienced recurring system failures from the very first day it entered service with Air India. According to the group, safety concerns related to the Boeing 787 aircraft type are being “downplayed globally”.

In a presentation submitted to the US Senate on January 12, 2026, FAS said it had examined maintenance and fault records indicating a long history of technical problems involving the aircraft. The organisation alleged that these issues stemmed from what it described as a “wide and confusing” combination of engineering, manufacturing, quality control and maintenance shortcomings.

Among the problems cited by FAS were electronic and software faults, repeated tripping of circuit breakers, wiring damage, short circuits, loss of electrical power, and overheating of power system components. The group claimed that such failures posed serious operational and safety risks over the aircraft’s 11-year service life.

FAS further alleged that Boeing’s 787 programme itself faced significant challenges, running more than three years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. The foundation said it analysed over 2,000 aircraft system failure reports related to the Boeing 787, covering around 18% of the global fleet of 1,235 aircraft. According to FAS, this data represents “just the tip of the iceberg”, suggesting a much broader pattern of unresolved issues.

The organisation claimed that documentation in its possession shows system failures began as soon as the aircraft arrived in India on February 1, 2014, and continued until the time of the crash. As an example, FAS alleged that a fire occurred in January 2022 in the P100 primary power panel, resulting in extensive damage around the L2 bus tie breaker, a critical safety and power distribution component, as well as surrounding wiring. The damage reportedly required the replacement of the entire power panel.

In another instance, FAS said the aircraft was grounded in April 2022 due to faults linked to the landing gear indication system. Multiple components were reportedly replaced following the grounding, including a proximity sensing data concentrator module and a remote power distribution unit.

When asked to respond to the allegations, Boeing said it would defer to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). “We will defer to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, in adherence with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization protocol known as Annex 13”, a Boeing spokesperson said.

The crash of the Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, is currently under investigation by Indian authorities. No official conclusions regarding the cause of the accident have yet been released.

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