Why no safety warnings for B787 fleet, US aviation group asks AAIB
The US‑based Foundation for Aviation Safety (FAS) has written to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) demanding interim safety recommendations for the Boeing 787 fleet, citing over 100 non‑public documents that reveal chronic electrical and computer system failures on the Air India Flight 171 that crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. The AAIB acknowledged receipt of the documents but has not issued any safety warnings, prompting FAS to allege suppression of critical safety information.
- ✓The US‑based Foundation for Aviation Safety (FAS) has written to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) demanding interim safety recommendations for the Boeing 787 fleet, citing over 100 non‑public documents that reveal chronic electrical and computer system failures on the Air India Flight 171 that crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
- ✓FAS’s August 21 letter asked to be formally recognised as a stakeholder and to have its technical findings entered into the investigation record.
- ✓Federal Aviation Administration codified EWIS regulations in 2007.
The Foundation for Aviation Safety, a US aviation safety group, sent a formal letter to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in India questioning why the agency has not issued interim safety recommendations for the Boeing 787 fleet. The request follows the group’s possession of more than 100 confidential documents related to the Air India Flight 171 (VT‑ANB) crash in Ahmedabad last year, which resulted in 260 fatalities. FAS executive director Ed Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing’s Renton 737 plant, highlighted that the documents detail persistent failures in the aircraft’s electrical, electronic, and flight‑control computer systems.
According to the correspondence, the documents were transferred to the AAIB through a UK AAIB expert on June 10 and were examined by the investigation team, which affirmed that its probe adheres to applicable regulations. FAS’s August 21 letter asked to be formally recognised as a stakeholder and to have its technical findings entered into the investigation record. The AAIB’s August 26 reply confirmed receipt but did not provide any interim safety advisories, and it did not answer a subsequent August 28 letter that accused the bureau of withholding vital safety data. Pierson also told the Times of India that the aircraft’s records show repeated malfunctions in the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS), a network comprising over 150 km of wiring, 3,500 connectors and 40,000 cable segments.
The concern over EWIS dates back to the 1996 TWA Boeing 747 and 1998 Swissair MD‑11 accidents, which together claimed 529 lives and led to the system’s classification as a critical aircraft component. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration codified EWIS regulations in 2007. FAS’s push for transparency reflects broader scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and safety practices after the 737 MAX incidents, and it underscores the potential risk to global aviation if systemic issues in the 787 fleet remain unaddressed.
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| Issuing Authority | Times of India National |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | INDIA |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 15 September 2026 |