Aviation safety campaigners in the United States say they have evidence a plane that crashed in India last year had previously suffered a series of technical failures, including an in-flight fire.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed on 12 June, shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London, killing 260 people.
The Foundation for Aviation Safety, a US campaign group, has sent a presentation to the US Senate outlining its findings, which it says are based on documents that have come into its possession.
The official investigation into the accident is ongoing. However, an interim report published in July sparked widespread speculation and controversy. Boeing declined to comment.
The aircraft involved in the accident, registered as VT-ANB, was one of the earliest 787s to be built. It first flew in late 2013 and entered service with Air India in early 2014.
The Foundation for Aviation Safety claims documents show that the plane experienced system failures from its very first day in service for Air India. It alleges these were caused by a wide and confusing variety of engineering, manufacturing, quality, and maintenance problems.
Failures reported include electronics and software faults, circuit breakers tripping repeatedly, damage to wiring, short circuits, loss of electrical current, and overheating of power system components.
In January 2022, it says, the aircraft experienced a fire in the P100 power distribution panel, critical for distributing high-voltage power generated by the engines. This alarming event occurred during descent into Frankfurt Airport, prompting significant damage within the aircraft.
The Foundation’s report has been sent to the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which held hearings on Boeing's broken safety culture last year. The ongoing investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is being closely observed by American officials, as the aircraft was designed and built in the US.
A preliminary report published a month post-accident indicated that the plane's fuel control switches were switched to the cut-off position shortly after take-off, causing the engines to lose thrust, which has drawn media attention and speculation about pilot error.
However, a backlash has emerged questioning this narrative, with industry experts suggesting that focus on pilot actions diverts attention from the necessity of addressing serious engineering issues with the aircraft itself.
The Foundation, led by Ed Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing’s Renton factory, has been vocal about the need for a thorough examination of the safety claims surrounding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, insisting that systemic deficiencies extend beyond the recently crashed aircraft.
