--- title: "Boeing Jet Explodes in Giant Fireball, Killing Hundreds" description: "A Boeing Dreamliner 787 plane crashed into a residential neighborhood with 242 people aboard mere moments after taking off." date: "2025-06-12" modified: "2025-06-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/boeing-jet-explodes" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "boeing" - "india" - "passenger jet" - "starliner" --- # Boeing Jet Explodes in Giant Fireball, Killing Hundreds ![A Boeing Dreamliner 787 plane crashed into a residential neighborhood with 242 people aboard mere moments after taking off.]() *\Image: Security Footage\* A Boeing Dreamliner 787 plane [crashed]() into a residential neighborhood with 242 people aboard mere moments after taking off from Ahmedabad in western India, exploding in an immense fireball. The cause of the immensely tragic loss of life remains unknown. As [*CNBC* reports](), it could take months to find out. The top-selling wide-body aircraft was delivered to Air India in 2014. According to a [tweet]() by FlightRadar, the Boeing jet ascended to roughly 200 feet before plummeting back down at a "vertical speed of -475 feet per minute." "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," Boeing wrote in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected." While we await more clarity on what occurred in the moments leading up to the crash, the aviation giant is already feeling hurt. The company's shares [plummeted by over four percent]() on Thursday after markets opened following the explosion. Boeing has already come under intense scrutiny following two deadly crashes in late 2018 and early 2019, both of which involved Boeing's 737 MAX 8 passenger aircraft. Today's crash is the first involving the company's 787 Dreamliner since it was introduced in 2011, according to [company data]() — which will likely lead to plenty of intense and renewed scrutiny. Things haven't gotten much better for the aerospace giant in the wake of those deadly crashes. The company has been embroiled in controversies ever since, including an incident [when a "door plug" blew out]() of an Alaska Airlines flight in early 2024, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing. Boeing has had to [lay off thousands of workers]() amid major financial turmoil. Tens of thousands of remaining machinists [went on strike]() in late 2024, deepening the company's crisis. Its Starliner spacecraft, which was designed to provide an alternative to SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station, also had a disastrous year. It remains unclear if Boeing will attempt another test flight following [major technical problems]() during its first crewed mission last year. Under its new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, the company's financials have made a significant recovery. Shares are up around 15 percent year to date. How the latest deadly crash will add to the company's existing woes remains to be seen. Just last month, the company [reached a deal with the Justice Department](), potentially allowing it to avoid criminal responsibility for the two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. **More on Boeing:** *[Boeing's Starliner Disaster Was Even Worse Than We Thought, Astronaut Reveals]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()