Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Boeing Engineer Had Raised Concerns About 787's Fuselage Last Year

An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, June 12, 2025, killing over 200 people and marking the first fatal incident involving this aircraft model. The tragedy has thrust Boeing’s safety record back into the spotlight, especially after a whistleblower’s earlier warnings about potential flaws in the 787’s construction. Here’s what we know about the crash, the whistleblower’s allegations, and Boeing’s ongoing challenges.

A Devastating Crash in Ahmedabad

Air India Flight AI171, bound for London Gatwick, took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 1:38 p.m. local time. Just minutes later, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew—including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian—crashed into the city’s Meghani Nagar residential area. The plane struck a medical college hostel, erupting into a fireball. Ahmedabad’s police commissioner reported over 200 fatalities. Videos shared on social media showed smoke rising from the wreckage, with firefighters battling to extinguish the flames.

The plane reached only 625 feet before its transponder signal was lost, and a “mayday” call was issued, suggesting the pilots knew something was wrong. 

Boeing Engineer’s Warnings About the 787 Dreamliner

The crash has drawn renewed attention to claims made by Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, who, in early 2024, raised alarms about the 787 Dreamliner’s structural integrity. Salehpour, a Boeing employee for over a decade, alleged that the company took shortcuts during the assembly of the 787’s fuselage, the main body of the plane. He claimed that fuselage sections, built by different manufacturers, were not properly aligned, leading to tiny gaps that were sometimes forcibly closed—occasionally with workers physically jumping on parts to align them. These flaws, he warned, could cause the plane to weaken over time, potentially leading to catastrophic failure after thousands of flights.

“I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align,” Salehpour said in a press briefing in April 2024. “That’s not how you build an airplane.”

Salehpour’s concerns, first reported by The New York Times and detailed in a formal complaint to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), prompted an ongoing investigation. He also alleged similar issues with Boeing’s 777 aircraft, estimating that over 1,000 Dreamliners and 400 777s could be affected. Salehpour claimed he faced retaliation, including threats and a transfer to the 777 program, after raising these issues. His lawyer, Debra S. Katz, stated that Boeing ignored his warnings and silenced him, undermining the company’s safety culture.

Boeing has denied these allegations, asserting that extensive testing showed no immediate safety risks. “These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft,” the company said in a statement. A Boeing spokesperson, Paul Lewis, added that manufacturing changes had “no impact on durability or safe longevity of the airframe.”

Boeing’s Troubled Safety Record

The Ahmedabad crash is the latest blow to Boeing, which has faced intense scrutiny over its safety practices for years. The 787 Dreamliner, introduced in 2011, was celebrated for its fuel efficiency and lightweight composite materials, but it has not been without issues. From 2021 to 2022, the FAA halted 787 deliveries for nearly two years due to fuselage joint gaps and other quality concerns. Boeing claimed to have resolved these issues, but Salehpour’s 2024 allegations suggested problems persisted.

Boeing’s broader safety troubles include the 2018 and 2019 crashes of its 737 Max 8 planes, which killed 346 people due to flaws in the aircraft’s automated flight control system. In May 2025, Boeing reached a $1.1 billion deal with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution, agreeing to admit to obstructing federal oversight, pay a fine, and invest in safety improvements. The deal, still pending judicial approval, has faced opposition from victims’ families.

In January 2024, a Boeing 737 Max 9 made headlines when a door plug component blew out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane, exposing passengers to extreme winds. The incident led to grounding of the 737 Max 9 and further eroded public trust. Boeing promised to redesign the faulty panels, but the string of incidents has fueled doubts about its commitment to safety.

Another Boeing Whistleblower, Who Had Raised Concerns, Killed Himself Last Year 

Another whistleblower, John Barnett, who raised concerns about Boeing’s South Carolina plant where the 787 is built, died in March 2024 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His allegations of falsified paperwork and substandard parts, including a potentially contaminated oxygen system component, added to the company’s woes.

After the Ahmedabad plane crash, Boeing's stocks have gone down by more than 8 percent, as of now.