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Flying Coffins: Boeing’s Dreamliners Turning Nightmares? Series Of Disasters Show “If It Is Boeing, You Should Worry About Flying”, Will They Be Made To Pay For Their Sins?

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The Commune
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ahmedabad plane crash technical failure

On 12 June 2025, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The horrific incident, which involved a flight with 242 people on board — 230 passengers and 12 crew members — resulted in numerous deaths and injuries and left many in shock. Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 52 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian citizen. One survivor — sitting in seat 11A — was found alive after the incident and is currently undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital, according to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik.

The aircraft involved, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was supposed to be a flagship model — a symbol of advanced design, greater range, and improved passenger experience. This was not an isolated incident. It was the latest in a decades-long pattern of Boeing failures—rooted in corporate negligence, manufacturing shortcuts, and a culture of profit over safety.

A Timeline Of Boeing’s Disasters (2022–2025)

Boeing’s growing problems did not start with Ahmedabad. The company’s track record over the last few years reveals a disturbing pattern:

March 21, 2022 — China Eastern 737-800 Crash: All 132 perished in a catastrophic mid-air incident. The subsequent investigation raised doubts about control surface functionality — a conclusion, Chinese regulators challenged, even as Boeing insisted it was due to pilot error.

January 5, 2024 — Alaska MAX-9 incident: A side panel, a door plug, blew out mid-flight with 177 people on board. The incident forced the FAA to ground all 737 MAX-9 jets. Shortly afterwards, Boeing’s CEO, David Calhoun, announced his resignation.

November 25, 2024 — Swiftair Cargo Crash in Lithuania: An older 737-400 went down, killing 1 and injuring 3. This incident raised additional questions about continued reliance on older models due to delivery delays and poor production schedules with newer jets.

December 29, 2024 — Jeju Air Crash-Landing in South Korea: The 737-800 overran the runway, causing 179 deaths. South Korean authorities opened a criminal investigation in its wake, fueling growing outrage.

June 12, 2025 — Air India 787-8 Crash in Ahmedabad: The most catastrophic incident in this timeline, adding to growing doubts about Boeing’s ability to produce a safe, reliable aircraft.

Image Source: Network18

The Dreamliner: A “Revolutionary” Jet With A Troubled Past

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, once hailed as a technological marvel, has been plagued by structural flaws, whistleblower warnings, and regulatory red flags:

Composite Materials Risk: Built with carbon-fibre-reinforced composites, the 787 was marketed as lighter and more fuel-efficient. However, improperly filled gaps in fuselage joins (exposed by whistleblowers) could lead to catastrophic mid-flight failures.

 

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Air India was the first Indian carrier to induct the 787 in 2012, using it for long-haul routes like Delhi-Melbourne and London-Perth.

FAA Investigations: The FAA twice halted Dreamliner deliveries (2021-2023) over manufacturing defects, but Boeing resumed production without full transparency. In April 2024, the FAA reopened probes into faulty fuselage joins—the same issue suspected in the Ahmedabad crash.

The Whistleblower Crisis: A Pattern of Silencing Dissent And Cover-Ups

The Ahmedabad Dreamliner crash has reignited scrutiny not just of Boeing’s engineering failures, but of its systematic suppression of whistleblowers who tried to warn about these very dangers. The deaths of insiders like John Barnett, the retaliation against Sam Salehpour, and the fake titanium scandal paint a damning picture of a corporation that prioritizes profits over lives.

John Barnett: The Whistleblower Who Died “Mid-Testimony”

A 32-year Boeing veteran and quality manager at Boeing’s North Charleston plant (787 Dreamliner production site). In 2019, he went public with explosive allegations:

  • Defective oxygen systems: Up to 25% of 787 Dreamliners had faulty oxygen masks that might fail mid-flight.
  • Scrap bin parts: Workers were retrieving rejected parts from trash and installing them on planes to meet deadlines.
  • Rushed inspections: Pressure to skip safety checks led to “non-conforming” parts being untraceable.

In March 2024, Barnett was found dead in his truck in Charleston, South Carolina, from a gunshot wound (ruled a suicide by police). He was midway through depositions for a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing. A note was recovered but the contents were not disclosed and his family called it a “staged scene”. His estate filed a wrongful death case, accusing Boeing of harassment and intimidation.

Why this matters for Ahmedabad is that Barnett’s warnings about 787 oxygen systems and structural defects directly relate to the Ahmedabad crash investigation. His death silenced a key witness who could have exposed systemic quality control failures in Dreamliners.

Sam Salehpour: The Engineer Who Exposed “Jumped-On Fuselages”

His allegations (2024 FAA complaint) include:

  • Fuselage gaps: Boeing workers “jumped on misaligned fuselage parts” to force them together, risking mid-air disintegration.
  • 1,000+ risky jets: Over 400 Boeing 777s and 1,000 Dreamliners could face premature fatigue failures.
  • Retaliation: After reporting 787 defects, he was transferred to the 777 program—where he found similar flaws.

Boeing denied the claims, but FAA reopened Dreamliner probes in April 2024—just 2 months before Ahmedabad crash.

The Fake Titanium Scandal

In June 2024, Boeing admitted counterfeit titanium (with falsified paperwork) was used in some 787/777 jets. This compromised structural integrity, especially under stress. It was reported that the titanium was purchased from a Chinese supplier who sold fake metallurgy certs that Boeing failed to verify.

Workers’ Confessions: “We Wouldn’t Fly On The Dreamliner”

A 2024 internal survey at Boeing’s South Carolina plant revealed that 10 out of 15 workers refused to fly on the 787, citing:

  • Rushed assembly: “They cut corners to meet quotas.”
  • Drug use: Some workers “high on opioids” during shifts.
  • Defective parts: “If you flag issues, managers ignore you.”

CEO’s Falsified Records: Caught On Camera

A 2024 Senate hearing exposed Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun in a lie. There was video evidence of him personally signing off on faulty 787 inspections despite knowing defects. Calhoun resigned (January 2024), but no criminal charges were filed.

Boeing’s Market Impact And Global Suspensions

Boeing’s repeated failures have resulted in significant financial penalties — $1.1 billion in settlements with regulators and victims’ families — alongside a dramatic 30% drop in its market capitalization. Some major clients are turning away:

  • China barely orders from Boeing anymore.
  • France (with its flagship Air France) and Germany’s Lufthansa are choosing to prioritize Airbus instead.
  • Russia bans further Boeing purchases.
  • The US Air Force delays its own Boeing tanker deliveries.

While regulators and lawmakers pursue their investigations — a process that typically stretches over years — Boeing repeatedly falls back on a familiar tactic: blame the pilots instead of addressing its own failures. This growing controversy underscores a catastrophic weakness in oversight — a failure to hold a major manufacturer accountable when human lives are at risk.

Boeing In Space — An Embarrassment Extends Beyond Airplanes

Boeing’s problems aren’t limited to its commercial jets. The company’s space division is under growing scrutiny. The Boeing Starliner’s return from the International Space Station (ISS) is delayed due to helium leaks and thruster malfunctions — stranding two NASA astronauts in space.

This further highlight ongoing weaknesses in Boeing’s technical prowess — even when financial incentives, oversight, and prestige are supposed to be at their highest.

A Tragic Tale Of Greed And Negligence

The Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing exposes the grim reality behind one of the most respected names in aviation. Directed by Rory Kennedy, the film investigates the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 (2018) and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (2019), which killed 346 people. At the heart of the tragedy lies Boeing’s flawed Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a software designed to stabilize the 737 MAX aircraft — but introduced without proper pilot training or full disclosure.

The documentary reveals how Boeing, once led by engineers and safety-first values, shifted its focus to shareholder profits after its merger with McDonnell Douglas. In pursuit of market dominance over Airbus, Boeing rushed the 737 MAX into service, prioritizing speed and cost-cutting over safety. Internal emails show Boeing employees mocking regulators and admitting that they withheld critical information about MCAS.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also comes under fire for delegating oversight responsibilities to Boeing itself, allowing the company to essentially self-certify its aircraft. This regulatory failure delayed critical action even after the first crash.

The film features heartbreaking accounts from victims’ families and whistleblowers, making clear that these were not “accidents” but the results of systemic failure. Downfall is a powerful indictment of corporate greed and regulatory capture, showing how cutting corners in aviation can have deadly consequences. It serves as a sobering reminder that when profit is prioritized over people, trust — and lives — are lost.

A Culture Of Concealment With Deadly Consequences

The tragic Ahmedabad crash has laid bare Boeing’s systemic pattern of silencing dissent and disregarding safety. For years, whistleblowers risked their careers to expose critical flaws—from defective oxygen systems and “jumped-on” fuselages to counterfeit titanium—only to be ignored, transferred, or, in one case, found dead under suspicious circumstances mid-testimony. Regulatory failures compounded the crisis, with the FAA repeatedly trusting Boeing’s self-certification despite mounting evidence of compromised manufacturing standards. The grim reality is that the Ahmedabad disaster was likely preventable; had Boeing heeded these warnings instead of suppressing them, 242 lives might have been spared.

India must now take decisive action: immediately suspending Boeing imports until independent audits verify aircraft safety, demanding access to sealed whistleblower documents from U.S. courts, and preparing legal action against Boeing for negligence if investigations confirm known defects contributed to the crash. The world can no longer afford to accept Boeing’s hollow safety assurances—not when its most vocal truth-tellers face retaliation, and not when the price of corporate negligence is paid in human lives. The Ahmedabad crash isn’t just a tragedy—it’s an indictment of a broken system that prioritizes profit over survival, and a wake-up call for global aviation to break free from Boeing’s lethal complacency.

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