Air India Dreamliner Crash Renews Focus On Boeing Safety – 5 Most Recent Incidents That Raised Concerns

All five incidents, which also included cargo flights, occurred in 2024.

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India crashed Thursday afternoon shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, killing an undisclosed number of passengers and prompting fresh scrutiny of Boeing’s commercial aircraft. 

Flight AI171, en route to London Gatwick, was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members, when it plunged into the Meghaninagar area minutes after departure. The aircraft had issued a mayday call but lost contact with air traffic control soon after.

The crash comes amid heightened investor concern over Boeing’s quality control and production practices following a series of high-profile incidents. 

Here are the five most recent major Boeing crashes before Thursday’s Air India tragedy. All of them occurred in the past year.

1. Dec. 29, 2024 – Jeju Air Flight 2216 (737-800)

A total of 179 people were killed when Jeju Air Flight 2216, en route from Thailand to South Korea, skidded off the runway and crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport, southwest of Seoul. 

Only two people survived, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korean history. Investigators later reported finding bird feathers and traces of blood in both engines.

2. Nov. 25, 2024 – Swiftair Flight 5960 (737-400SF)

A Boeing 737-400SF operated by Swiftair for DHL crashed near a residential area while approaching Vilnius, Lithuania. One of the four crew members on board was killed. The cargo aircraft reportedly encountered difficulties during its descent.

3. Nov. 9, 2024 – Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5682 (737-4Q8 SF)

A cargo-configured Boeing 737 suffered an in-flight fire en route from Vitória to Guarulhos, Brazil. The aircraft landed in Guarulhos, and both crew members survived, but the plane was destroyed. The fire originated in the cargo hold, according to initial reports.

4. March 11, 2024 – LATAM Airlines Flight 800 (787-9)

A Boeing 787-9 flying from Sydney to Santiago via Auckland experienced an in-flight upset during the first leg of its journey. 

Fifty people were injured before the plane landed safely in Auckland. Passengers reported a sudden and violent motion mid-air, with injuries including concussions and broken bones.

According to the DGAC, the captain’s seat had involuntarily moved forward, and the weather was not a factor.

5. Jan. 5, 2024 - Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 (737 MAX 9)

While not a crash, this near-disaster involved a midair door panel blowout on a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight. The plane lost part of its fuselage at 16,000 feet. 

The FAA grounded 171 aircraft for inspection, and the incident raised serious questions about manufacturing oversight at Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

 While these incidents have varied causes, they have compounded investor and regulatory concerns about Boeing’s quality systems.

They follow two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s 737 MAX jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Boeing last week agreed to pay $1.1 billion to avoid prosecution under a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice over its role in those crashes.

Boeing’s stock tumbled as much as 7% in pre-market trade on Thursday following reports of the Air India Dreamliner 787 Crash.

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