Whistleblowers had been raising safety concerns over the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for years

LONDON: Concerns had been raised by whistleblowers for years over the safety of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

John Barnett, who had worked for Boeing for more than 30 years and had been employed as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant, which builds the 787 Dreamliner, had alleged to the BBC in 2019 that under-pressure workers had been “deliberately” fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the production line to prevent delays on the production line.

Barnett, who retired in 2017, alleged he had alerted managers to his concerns, but no action had been taken. After retiring in 2017, he commenced legal action against the company and in the week before his sudden death in March 2024, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.

He had also claimed he had uncovered serious problems with oxygen systems, which could mean one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency.

He had said that soon after starting work in South Carolina he had become concerned that the push to get new aircraft built meant the assembly process was rushed and safety was compromised, something Boeing has denied. He had said that in some cases, sub-standard parts had even “been removed from scrap bins” and fitted to planes that were being built.

Another whistleblower, current Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, had in April 2024 told NBC News that Boeing should “ground every 787 Dreamliner jet worldwide” after warning they are at risk of premature failure. He alleged that crews assembling the plane failed to properly fill tiny gaps when joining separately manufactured parts of the fuselage. His attorneys said this put more wear on the plane, shortening its lifespan and risking catastrophic failure.

Salehpour, who has worked at Boeing for more than a decade, also claimed he faced retaliation, including exclusion from meetings, after raising concerns over these issues.

Boeing has always denied these assertions and insists the 787 is safe.

However the Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating Salehpour’s allegations. It also opened an investigation in May 2024 after Boeing disclosed in April 2024 that it may not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliners. That probe is also investigating whether company employees falsified aircraft records.

The aircraft involved in Thursday’s crash is an 11-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. This is the first major accident involving the 787.

Boeing issued the following statement: “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”