Boeing 787 Crash: What Really Happened and Why It Matters

When people talk about a Boeing 787 crash, a rare but widely reported event involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a long-range wide-body jet known for its composite materials and fuel efficiency. Also known as the Dreamliner, it was meant to be the future of air travel—lighter, quieter, and more efficient. But after a handful of high-profile incidents, questions about its safety stuck around longer than the headlines. The truth? There’s never been a fatal crash of a Boeing 787 in commercial service. Not one. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t serious problems.

The biggest scare came in 2013, when two separate 787s had battery fires on the ground—one in Boston, another in Japan. The FAA grounded the entire fleet for months. That wasn’t a crash, but it was close enough to make airlines and passengers nervous. The issue? Lithium-ion batteries overheating. Not because of bad design, but because of poor packaging and inadequate cooling. Boeing fixed it with a metal cage around the batteries, better vents, and stricter charging rules. By 2014, the planes were flying again. But the damage to trust? That took longer to repair.

Then came the aircraft design, the engineering choices behind the 787’s structure, including its use of carbon fiber composites instead of traditional aluminum. Composites are great—lighter, stronger, resistant to corrosion. But they’re harder to inspect. A crack in metal shows up easily. A crack in composite? It can hide. That’s why the FAA and airlines now do more frequent and detailed inspections on 787s. And why Boeing had to recall thousands of parts over the years—some from faulty suppliers, others from assembly errors.

There’s also the FAA, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the agency responsible for certifying aircraft safety and overseeing maintenance standards. Critics say the FAA let Boeing do too much of its own safety testing. That’s not just about the 787—it’s about how the whole system works. After the 737 MAX crashes, the FAA overhauled its oversight process. But for the 787, the fixes were mostly technical, not systemic.

So why does this still matter? Because the 787 is everywhere now. Airlines from Qatar to Delta rely on it for long-haul routes. It’s the plane that flies you from Cape Town to London without stopping. If you’re flying on one, you want to know the risks are managed—not ignored.

Below, you’ll find real stories from the last few years—some about near-misses, others about inspections, supply chain issues, and how airlines are keeping these planes safe. Not every headline you’ve seen is accurate. But the underlying concerns? They’re real. And they’re still being dealt with.