Boeing's 787 Dreamliner was deemed the 'safest' of planes. The whistleblowers were always less sure

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has long been seen as one of the safest and most advanced airplanes in the world. It was designed to be more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly than older planes, and it quickly became popular with airlines and passengers. Since its first flight in 2009, the Dreamliner has carried over a billion people and has more than 1,100 planes in service worldwide. For almost 15 years, it had a perfect safety record, with no major accidents or deaths. However, a recent crash in India, which killed at least 270 people, has raised new questions about the plane's safety and the way it was built.

The crash happened just 30 seconds after takeoff, and investigators are still trying to figure out what caused it. They have recovered the flight recorder and are working hard to find answers. The accident has brought attention to the Dreamliner and to some of the problems that have been reported by people who worked on the plane. These people, known as whistleblowers, have said that there were serious issues with how the planes were made. Some claimed that parts were not properly checked, and that sometimes even broken or substandard parts were used to keep the production line moving quickly. Boeing has denied these claims, saying that the planes are safe and that any problems have been fixed.

The Dreamliner was created at a time when airlines were looking for ways to save money on fuel. Boeing originally planned to make a very fast plane, but after the 9/11 attacks, airlines wanted something different. They wanted a plane that could fly long distances, use less fuel, and be more economical. The 787 was the answer. It was the first commercial plane made mostly from carbon fiber instead of metal, making it lighter and more efficient. It also had new engines that were quieter and produced less pollution. The Dreamliner was designed to be 20 percent more efficient than the older Boeing 767, and it was also much quieter, which was good news for people living near airports.

Despite its success, the Dreamliner has had some serious problems. In 2013, two planes had battery fires, which led to all Dreamliners being grounded for several months while Boeing worked on a solution. After that, there were more problems with how the planes were built. In 2019, Boeing found that some parts of the planes were not fitting together correctly, and more issues were discovered as they investigated further. Deliveries of the plane were delayed several times as Boeing tried to fix the problems.

Some of the most serious concerns have come from whistleblowers who worked at Boeing. John Barnett, a former quality control manager, said that pressure to build planes quickly led to safety being ignored. He claimed that workers sometimes used parts from scrap bins and that metal shavings were left inside the planes, which could cause electrical problems. The US aviation regulator, the FAA, looked into his claims and found that some parts had gone missing and that metal shavings were present in some planes. Boeing said these issues did not affect safety, but they redesigned some parts and made changes to their processes.

Another whistleblower, Cynthia Kitchens, said that workers were told to ignore mistakes and that defective wiring was sometimes installed in planes. Boeing said she left the company for other reasons and that her lawsuit was dismissed. More recently, Sam Salehpour, a current Boeing employee, told US lawmakers that shortcuts in the assembly process could lead to dangerous problems in the future. He said that tiny gaps in the joints of the plane could cause them to wear out faster and create unsafe conditions. Boeing insists that these claims are not true and that the planes are safe.

Even with these problems, many experts say the Dreamliner is still a very safe plane. It has flown for 16 years, with over a billion passengers and no major accidents until now. Some believe that if there were serious problems, they would have shown up already. However, the recent crash in India has made people more concerned, and many are waiting for answers from the investigation. For now, the Dreamliner continues to fly, but the crash has reminded everyone of the importance of safety and quality in airplane manufacturing.