Ahmedabad plane crash: Worries of whistleblowers over quality of Boeing 787 Dreamliner raised again
London: The crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad on Thursday has reopened the issue of the quality of the aircraft and the concerns in this regard that had been raised by whistleblowers earlier.
John Barnett, who had worked for 30 years for Boeing and had also been quality manager at the North Charleston plant, where the 787 Dreamliner is built, had alleged to the BBC in 2019 that workers under pressure used sub-standard parts on aircrafts to prevent delay in production. He had also stated that although the managers were alerted, they had taken no action in the matter.
After his superannuation in 2017, Barnett had also commenced legal action against Boeing. In the week prior to his sudden death in March 2024, from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, Barnett had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company. He had claimed that he had found serious shortcomings in the quality of the planes manufactured, including in the oxygen systems, which could mean one that in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency.
He had said that the pressure on production was causing hurry in the assembly process and compromise in safety. Although Boeing has denied the allegation, Barnett has further said that in some cases sub-standard parts were retrieved from scrap bins and fitted to planes being manufactured.
Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, who has worked with Boeing for more than a decade and is currently a Boeing engineer, had told NBC News in April 2024 that the company should “ground every 787 Dreamliner jet worldwide” since there were warnings that the flights are at risk of premature failure.
He added that the crew members who assembled the planes failed to fill tiny gaps properly while joining separately manufactured parts of the fuselage. His attorneys said that this shortened the lifespan of a plane and lead it to risk catastrophic failure.
Salehpour also said that he faced retaliation, including exclusion from meetings, for having throwing light on the shortcomings in the manufacture process and expressing concerns over them.
Boeing, however, has always denied the charges and has insisted that the flight 787 was safe for use.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating Salehpour’s allegations. It also started a probe in May 2024 after Boeing admitted 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. The FAA probe team is also investigating whether company employees falsified aircraft records.
The plane that crashed in Ahmedabad is learned to be an 11-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. This is also the first major accident of a 787 plane.
Currently, Boeing has issued a statement that the authorities are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and are ready to support them. They have also expressed grief over the loss of life and offered condolences to the families of the passengers and all others affected by the accident.
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Dharmasthala mass burial case: Two complainants appear before SIT in Belthangady
Belthangady: Two people, Purandara Gowda and Thularama Gowda of Dharmasthala, who had earlier filed complaints in relation to the Dharmasthala mass burial case and claimed to have witnessed the burial of bodies, spoke to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials on Wednesday.
Prior to the meeting, Purandara Gowda told reporters that he used to own a shop situated on the banks of River Nethravathi. “While at the shop, I had seen bodies being buried, in all likelihood, by the anonymous witness. I have, however, seen more than one person being involved in this work at the first and 13th sites identified by the witness,” he has said.
Thularama Gowda has said that he had seen the burial of bodies at sites beyond those identified by the witness. “The SIT will be provided the information on the matter,” Gowda added.
