Former Boeing employee & whistleblower's claims back in focus amid Air India plane crash

The Ahmedabad air crash has the entire world speculating on what caused the tragedy to take place. Some mentioning the reason being the double-engine failure, while others speculate it was a bird hit that led to the fall. Boeing has been facing heat over its airplanes but this was not the company was pulled up for its jets being part of air mishaps.

This Ahmedabad incident, involving a Dreamliner model of 787-8, has raised concerns on the on the company's standards of manufacturing and quality-checks with their Dreamliners.

The 787 Dreamliner was launched in the year 2007, as a revolutionary long-haul jet that had more focus on its fuel efficiency and to replace Boeing 767 in totality. The plane's first test flight occurred in December 2009. Its first commercial one was in 2012, after facing issues with supply chains and engine troubles. Portraying 787 models as 'best selling passenger planes,' Boeing still is yet to resolve many safety features, with relation to ongoing investigations.

A former employee, and American Whistleblower, John Barnett, had warned about the quality of the 787 Dreamliner model being 'sub-standard,' in a conversation with the New York Times, in 2019. He accused Boeing of being “plagued by shoddy production and weak oversight that have threatened to compromise safety.”

He further claimed that there was not a single aircraft, that came out of Charleston, that he would call "safe and airworthy." What has now again sparked interest in Barnett's claims is the fact that he had died of apparent suicide a little while after making the explosive claims against his employer company.

With the Ahmedabad incident adding to the existing scrutiny that Boeing faces, and the involvement of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in US, will it see the Indian government grounding the fleet?

The tragedy killed all but one passenger on June 12, after colliding with a doctors' hostel. The total casualty count rose up to over 270, with more than 50 people injured. With the revival of the plane's black box, the investigation for the cause of the air crash continues