By Rajiv Shah
A heart-wrenching tragedy has taken place in Ahmedabad. As widely reported, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed shortly after taking off from the city’s airport, currently operated by India’s top tycoon, Gautam Adani. The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. As expected, the crash has led to an outpouring of grief across the country. At the same time, there have been demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Civil Aviation Minister.
The most striking comment came from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who stated: "When a train derailed in the 1950s, Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned. On the same morality, I demand PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, and Civil Aviation Minister Naidu to resign so that a free and fair inquiry can be held. All that Modi and his associates have been doing so far is gallivanting, which must stop."
Amidst widespread mourning, some fringe elements sought to communalize the tragedy. One post on X featured a screenshot showing small Muslim faces with smilies, with the user "Hindu Nationalist" commenting: "And then they say why are you doubting our nationalism." The insinuation was that there was a sense of jubilation in the minority community.
Amidst these developments, attention was drawn to a CNN report published over a year ago, on April 10, 2024, headlined: "A whistleblower claims that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is flawed. The FAA is investigating." I was asked to revisit it, given the widespread belief that the 787 Dreamliner was one of the safest aircraft in the skies.
The CNN report quotes U.S. federal authorities stating that they were investigating Boeing after a whistleblower, Sam Salehpour—a Boeing engineer—raised repeated concerns about manufacturing shortcuts involving the 777 and 787 models. Salehpour warned that these risks could become catastrophic as the planes age. He claimed he was retaliated against by Boeing for speaking up.
The CNN story cites Salehpour's complaint to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), filed in January 2024 and made public on April 9, 2024. In the complaint, Salehpour warned of “two quality issues that may dramatically reduce the life of the planes.” He explained:
“I am doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed and prevent crashes from happening... The truth is Boeing can’t keep going the way it is. It needs to do a little bit better, I think.”
The New York Times (NYT), which first reported on the whistleblower complaint, provided further insight. Titled "FAA Investigates Claims by Boeing Whistle-Blower About Flaws in 787 Dreamliner", the story explained that Salehpour alleged that parts of the 787's fuselage were being improperly fastened, potentially weakening the aircraft over time. According to him, sections of the fuselage—manufactured by different suppliers—do not align perfectly, which could cause structural failures after thousands of flights.
Salehpour, who had worked at Boeing for over a decade, said the problem stemmed from changes in how these massive sections were fitted and fastened on the assembly line. The NYT story came against the backdrop of intense scrutiny Boeing has faced, especially after a door panel on a 737 Max jet blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January 2024.
In response, Boeing initiated a leadership overhaul, and the U.S. Justice Department launched a criminal investigation. Salehpour’s concerns were backed by Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security investigations subcommittee. He remarked:
“Repeated, shocking allegations about Boeing’s manufacturing failings point to an appalling absence of safety culture and practices—where profit is prioritized over everything else.”
The NYT article also described the Dreamliner as a wide-body aircraft known for its fuel efficiency, thanks in part to its lightweight composite body. However, since its launch in 2011, the 787 has faced a series of problems—from battery issues that led to a global grounding, to more recent quality lapses that halted its delivery.
The NYT also reported that Boeing’s South Carolina plant, where the Dreamliner is assembled, had been under fire before. Notably, another whistleblower, John Barnett, who raised concerns about practices at the same plant, was found dead in March 2024 from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Salehpour alleged that Boeing retaliated against him for raising safety concerns. According to his lawyer, Debra S. Katz, he attempted to raise these issues in internal meetings, but was ignored and eventually transferred to work on another wide-body model. There, he discovered similar issues with fuselage assembly.
According to CNN, concerns about the Dreamliner are not new. Between 2021 and 2023, FAA and Boeing halted deliveries to investigate quality control problems, particularly regarding the precision of fuselage assembly. Though the 787 was not grounded, the FAA conducted multiple investigations.
CNN also reported, on February 24, 2023, that Boeing was forced to again halt Dreamliner deliveries just months after they had resumed. Although Boeing continued production during the 2021–22 delivery freeze, the company suffered another financial blow when the FAA paused new deliveries in early 2023. Boeing delivered 34 Dreamliners between August 2022 and January 2023 once the FAA gave clearance.
“A halt of deliveries is another financial blow to the already struggling Boeing, which gets most of its money from its airline customers at the time that planes are delivered,” CNN noted.
The most striking comment came from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who stated: "When a train derailed in the 1950s, Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned. On the same morality, I demand PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, and Civil Aviation Minister Naidu to resign so that a free and fair inquiry can be held. All that Modi and his associates have been doing so far is gallivanting, which must stop."
Amidst widespread mourning, some fringe elements sought to communalize the tragedy. One post on X featured a screenshot showing small Muslim faces with smilies, with the user "Hindu Nationalist" commenting: "And then they say why are you doubting our nationalism." The insinuation was that there was a sense of jubilation in the minority community.
Amidst these developments, attention was drawn to a CNN report published over a year ago, on April 10, 2024, headlined: "A whistleblower claims that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is flawed. The FAA is investigating." I was asked to revisit it, given the widespread belief that the 787 Dreamliner was one of the safest aircraft in the skies.
The CNN report quotes U.S. federal authorities stating that they were investigating Boeing after a whistleblower, Sam Salehpour—a Boeing engineer—raised repeated concerns about manufacturing shortcuts involving the 777 and 787 models. Salehpour warned that these risks could become catastrophic as the planes age. He claimed he was retaliated against by Boeing for speaking up.
The CNN story cites Salehpour's complaint to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), filed in January 2024 and made public on April 9, 2024. In the complaint, Salehpour warned of “two quality issues that may dramatically reduce the life of the planes.” He explained:
“I am doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed and prevent crashes from happening... The truth is Boeing can’t keep going the way it is. It needs to do a little bit better, I think.”
The New York Times (NYT), which first reported on the whistleblower complaint, provided further insight. Titled "FAA Investigates Claims by Boeing Whistle-Blower About Flaws in 787 Dreamliner", the story explained that Salehpour alleged that parts of the 787's fuselage were being improperly fastened, potentially weakening the aircraft over time. According to him, sections of the fuselage—manufactured by different suppliers—do not align perfectly, which could cause structural failures after thousands of flights.
Salehpour, who had worked at Boeing for over a decade, said the problem stemmed from changes in how these massive sections were fitted and fastened on the assembly line. The NYT story came against the backdrop of intense scrutiny Boeing has faced, especially after a door panel on a 737 Max jet blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January 2024.
“Repeated, shocking allegations about Boeing’s manufacturing failings point to an appalling absence of safety culture and practices—where profit is prioritized over everything else.”
The NYT article also described the Dreamliner as a wide-body aircraft known for its fuel efficiency, thanks in part to its lightweight composite body. However, since its launch in 2011, the 787 has faced a series of problems—from battery issues that led to a global grounding, to more recent quality lapses that halted its delivery.
The NYT also reported that Boeing’s South Carolina plant, where the Dreamliner is assembled, had been under fire before. Notably, another whistleblower, John Barnett, who raised concerns about practices at the same plant, was found dead in March 2024 from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Salehpour alleged that Boeing retaliated against him for raising safety concerns. According to his lawyer, Debra S. Katz, he attempted to raise these issues in internal meetings, but was ignored and eventually transferred to work on another wide-body model. There, he discovered similar issues with fuselage assembly.
According to CNN, concerns about the Dreamliner are not new. Between 2021 and 2023, FAA and Boeing halted deliveries to investigate quality control problems, particularly regarding the precision of fuselage assembly. Though the 787 was not grounded, the FAA conducted multiple investigations.
CNN also reported, on February 24, 2023, that Boeing was forced to again halt Dreamliner deliveries just months after they had resumed. Although Boeing continued production during the 2021–22 delivery freeze, the company suffered another financial blow when the FAA paused new deliveries in early 2023. Boeing delivered 34 Dreamliners between August 2022 and January 2023 once the FAA gave clearance.
“A halt of deliveries is another financial blow to the already struggling Boeing, which gets most of its money from its airline customers at the time that planes are delivered,” CNN noted.
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