NEW DELHI: It was a plane known for redefining long-haul travel — sleek, modern, and often hailed as one of the safest in the skies. But on Thursday, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner met its darkest chapter. In a tragic first for the aircraft model, an Air India Dreamliner plunged near Ahmedabad, shaking global confidence in a jetliner that has safely carried millions since its commercial debut in 2011. The crash not only marks a grim milestone for the aviation industry but also revives memories of the jet’s troubled early years, when battery fires once forced its global grounding.Though the Dreamliner has built a strong reputation for safety, it has not been entirely free of problems. In January 2013, the entire fleet was grounded by the US aviation regulator after two incidents in Japan — one involving a battery fire on a parked plane and another where a battery system warning forced an emergency landing. Boeing resolved the issue by April 2013, after which the planes were cleared to fly again.According to flight data company Cirium, there are 1,148 Boeing 787 variants currently in service worldwide, with an average age of 7.5 years. Before the AI 171 crash, Air India operated 34 Dreamliners as part of its fleet.

Boeing 787

What are a Dreamliner’s safety checks?By ground engineers: Servicing, fuelling and hydraulic checks, tyre and brake inspections, etc to certify the plane as airworthy, which is done with a sign on the logbook.Crew: Does in-flight checks like powering up aircraft systems and configuring and testing controls and instruments. This involves checking if the landing gear lever is down and flap and spoiler levers are in the right position, fuel pumps are on, and engine fuel switches cut off until engine start. Critical warning systems are tested, too.Pilots: One pilot does an external walkaround to visually inspect the aircraft, everything from tyres and doors to fuselage and wings. Pilots also do an exhaustive check of the cockpit setup. Finally, the captain signs off on a formal ‘aircraft acceptance’ in the logbook.

‘Take off to crash in a flash’

What are a Dreamliner’s key warning systems?EICAS (Engine-Indicating & Crew-Alerting System) is a Boeing plane’s nerve centre and displays all engine parameters (thrust, temperature, pressure) and monitors hundreds of system sensors. For example, EICAS will notify if a door isn’t properly closed.GPWS/TAWS (Ground Proximity Warning System/Terrain Awareness & Warning System) alerts pilots to imminent ground collision or unsafe descent rates, critical in low-visibility or nighttime operations. If it senses danger, the system issues callouts like ‘terrain, terrain” and “pull up”.TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) prevents mid-air collisions by scanning for other aircraft transponders. If another aircraft comes too close, it tells the pilots to climb or descend and the other plane to do the opposite.SWS (Stall Warning System) continuously monitors airspeed and other parameters to warn of a stall or a loss of lift. Overspeed Warning prevents the 787 from exceeding its maximum allowed speed by producing clacker sounds to warn the pilots.Windshear Detection notes any sudden changes in wind velocity, or windshear. This gives pilots critical advance warning, enabling them to abort a takeoff or go around.Enhanced Flight Vision & Alerts warn pilots if a plane is drifting from glidepath. Also has altitude alerters and autopilot disconnect warnings.Fire & Smoke Alarms sounds warnings if there’s smoke in the lavatories or avionics bay, or fire in an engine or cargo hold.Tail-Strike Protection alerts the pilots and logs for inspection any strike or near-strike detected by the tail skid sensor during take-off or landing.