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According to the submission, the Dreamliner involved experienced system failures from its first day with Air India & continued to log problems throughout its 11-year service life
The London-bound aircraft crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport. (PTI Photo)
A report submitted by the US-based Foundation for Aviation Safety (FAS) has raised serious safety concerns about the Boeing 787-8 aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, saying the jet had technical faults dating back to its earliest days in service and that safety issues may have been overlooked or downplayed globally.
According to the FAS submission, which was presented to the US Senate on January 12, 2026, the Dreamliner involved—registered VT-ANB—experienced system failures from its first day with Air India, and continued to log “a wide and confusing mix of engineering, manufacturing, quality and maintenance problems” throughout its 11-year service life.
The FAS report singles out multiple manufacturing defects that it says could have compromised the aircraft’s safety. These include:
• Fuel control cut-off switch locking feature: The locking mechanism may be disengaged, allowing the switch to move unintentionally. This defect was first recorded in December 2018, but it is unclear if corrective action was ever fully implemented.
• Fuselage fasteners installed improperly, potentially affecting structural integrity. This condition was flagged in June 2024, with no verified record of rectification before service.
• Oxygen supply tubing problems and landing gear issues—also listed as unresolved manufacturing concerns.
• Ram Air Turbine (RAT) pump barrel assembly failure: First observed in October 2021, raising questions about a key emergency power system’s reliability.
The FAS presentation also refers to earlier design-related defects that had been flagged previously in the type’s operational history:
• Flight control module faults, first identified in 2013 and reportedly fixed by May 2021.
• Missed ATC communication issues, raised in 2020 and withdrawn in 2021.
Despite fixes, the group says the combination of design and manufacturing weaknesses contributed to ongoing equipment and system failures across the 787 fleet.
January 22, 2026, 12:07 IST
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