Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed just 40 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, marking the first fatal incident for this aircraft model since its introduction in 2011. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), supported by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, is scrutinizing whether a systemic flaw in the 787’s design or systems contributed to the disaster that killed 279 people, including 241 onboard and 38 on the ground.
Both the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), recovered on June 13 and June 15, respectively, are being analyzed in Delhi to decode critical parameters like engine performance and flight control settings.
A 2025 Reuters report notes that investigators are focusing on engine thrust, wing flaps, and landing gear, with footage showing the gear unretracted and flaps potentially misconfigured. If a flight management control system (FMCS) issue is identified, it could implicate the global fleet of over 1,100 Dreamliners, prompting urgent regulatory action.
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Could Maintenance Oversights Have Played a Role?
Air India’s maintenance practices are under intense scrutiny. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered additional safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet as a preventive measure, following a recent inspection of 24 of 33 aircraft that found no major safety concerns.
However, a 2025 Guardian report highlights that investigators are examining maintenance logs for potential errors, such as improper engine servicing or overlooked defects in the 11-year-old aircraft (VT-ANB). The plane’s GE Aerospace GEnx engines are a focal point, with experts analyzing turbine damage to determine if they were generating power at impact.
Maintenance errors, if confirmed, could shift blame from Boeing to Air India’s protocols, but a systemic issue in engine integration with the 787’s automated systems remains a possibility that could affect other operators.
What Does the Black Box Data Reveal?
The recovery of the FDR and CVR is a pivotal step. According to a 2025 BBC report, the FDR tracks thousands of parameters, including flap positions, thrust settings, and fuel flow, while the CVR captures pilot communications and cockpit sounds, including a mayday call issued by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal seconds before the crash.
The 2025 NPR report confirms the discovery of the FDR and CVR within 28 hours, providing hope for reconstructing the flight's final moments. Preliminary data from Flightradar24 indicates the plane reached only 650 feet before descending rapidly, suggesting a failure in lift or thrust.
If the data reveals a flight management system glitch or a critical misconfiguration, it could point to a design flaw, raising concerns for the 900 Dreamliners on order globally, as noted by a 2025 CNBC report.
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Systemic Risks Threaten Global Confidence
A systemic flaw in the 787 could erode trust in Boeing, already battered by incidents involving other models. A 2025 CNBC analysis suggests that while demand for Dreamliners remains strong, a confirmed design issue could delay certification of Boeing’s 777X and impact orders.
The crash’s unprecedented nature-described as “the rarest of the rare” by former AAIB investigator Kishore Chinta in a 2025 BBC report-amplifies the stakes.
If the FMCS or engine systems are implicated, regulators like the FAA may impose fleet-wide inspections or grounding, as speculated by Indian media, though Air India has denied grounding plans.
The involvement of GE Aerospace and Boeing experts in the investigation underscores the global implications of any findings related to the 787’s systems.
Did you know?
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, launched in 2011, was designed with advanced automation to optimize fuel efficiency, relying on a flight management system that processes data from over 1,000 sensors, per a 2023 Boeing technical report.
Investigation Faces Unprecedented Challenges
The complexity of the crash site, with wreckage scattered across a residential area and a medical college hostel, complicates evidence collection. A 2025 Guardian report details the deployment of over 150 vehicles and sniffer dogs to recover debris, with the Indian Army and National Security Guard assisting.
The intense fireball, fueled by 100 tons of fuel, charred most remains, slowing victim identification and potentially damaging critical components like wiring or sensors. Investigators must meticulously reconstruct the aircraft’s systems to determine if a hidden flaw in the 787’s automation or hardware triggered the catastrophe.
What Lies Ahead for Boeing’s Dreamliner?
The Air India Flight 171 crash has thrust the Boeing 787 Dreamliner into a critical spotlight, with investigators racing to uncover whether a systemic flaw-potentially in the flight management system or engine integration-caused the tragedy. Maintenance practices, flap configurations, and engine performance are under scrutiny, with black box data offering hope for answers.
As the global fleet faces potential regulatory fallout, the investigation’s findings could reshape aviation safety standards. Will a hidden defect redefine the Dreamliner’s legacy?
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