The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed near Ahmedabad on June 12 last year, killing 260 people, had a record of safety defects, say US aviation campaigners. The Foundation for Aviation Safety (FAS) claims the aircraft, registered VT-ANB, suffered a series of technical failures from its first flight in 2013. These faults included electronics and software problems, repeated circuit breaker trips, wiring damage, short circuits, loss of electrical current, and overheating. In January 2022, there was a fire in the P100 power distribution panel, crucial for distributing engine-generated high-voltage power. Pilots noticed faults during a landing at Frankfurt Airport, and the panel was later replaced due to severe damage. The 787 uses more electrical systems than earlier planes, which Boeing designed to cut weight but which also caused early problems like a major battery fire in 2013. The FAS sent its report to the US Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which has looked into Boeing's safety culture. The official probe by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is ongoing, with US officials involved since the plane and engines are American-made. A July preliminary AAIB report noted the plane's fuel control switches were set to "cut-off" after take-off, cutting fuel to engines and causing thrust loss. This sparked controversy as cockpit recordings suggested one pilot denied moving the switches. Some in the US and India blamed the pilots, but lawyers, pilots' groups, and experts say this deflects from possible technical causes. Ed Pierson, former Boeing manager and FAS head, called the AAIB report "woefully inadequate". The FAS examined nearly 2,000 reports of faults on other 787s in the US, Canada, and Australia, including water leaks into wiring bays previously flagged by the FAA. Boeing says the 787 is safe and had no fatal accidents until the Air India crash. The company declined to comment on the new claims, citing the ongoing investigation, and referred questions to AAIB. Air India and AAIB have also been approached for comments.