Feds See No Immediate Reason to Suspend Boeing 787 Flights Following Air India Crash

A team of U.S. experts is heading to India to support the investigation.

A Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner taxis past the Final Assembly Building at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, S.C. Randall Hill/Reuters/File Photo

Federal transportation officials said Thursday there is currently no immediate reason to ground Boeing 787 passenger planes, the model involved in the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people on June 12.

During a press conference on Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Chris Rocheleau said they have reviewed video clips of the deadly crash but have not found any preliminary evidence that might suggest the aircraft model itself is unsafe.

“We have no preliminary information. We don’t have that information yet,” Duffy said, noting that a team of aviation experts have been invited to India to support the investigation.

“They have to get on the ground and take a look.

“Right now, it would be way too premature. People are looking at videos and trying to assess what happened, which is never a strong, smart way to make decisions on what took place.”

Duffy also pledged that the federal government would act swiftly should the investigation identify any safety concerns.

“We will not hesitate to implement any safety recommendations that may arise,” he said. “We will follow the facts and put safety first.”

Rocheleau echoed those comments, saying that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) are working closely with Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aerospace to collect more information.

“As we proceed down this road with the investigation itself, if there’s any information that becomes available to us regarding any risk, we will mitigate those risks,” Rocheleau said.

The crash occurred in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after the plane departed for London Gatwick Airport. Authorities have confirmed that all but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board were killed.

Air India said the passengers included 169 Indian, 53 British, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese citizens. Casualties were also reported on the ground, including those killed in a building struck by the plane.

The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, had been seated in 11A, next to an emergency exit. Speaking to state broadcaster DD News, Ramesh described how he escaped the wreckage with burn injuries to his left arm.

“The side of the plane I was in landed on the ground, and I could see that there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke, I tried to escape through it, and I did,” Ramesh said.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, this is the first-ever fatal crash involving a Boeing 787-8 model.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,” Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a statement. “I have spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”

Meanwhile, the Indian government is considering grounding Air India’s fleet of Boeing 787s pending further safety reviews, according to local broadcaster NDTV.