On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, an aircraft widely praised for its safety, became a danger to its passengers and those on the ground. Despite what began as a textbook takeoff and an experienced pilot with over 8,000 flight hours at the controls, the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, caught fire and crashed into residential buildings below.

Of the 242 people on board, only one person survived.

Now, investigators and aviation experts are looking into a concerning possibility: that the aircraft may have failed mechanically.

What We Know So Far

The 11-year-old aircraft ...