BOEING'S TROUBLED ERA DIMMED HAS THE PROSPECTS OF A PREEMINENT AMERICAN MANUFACTURER

A London-bound Air India plane carrying more than 240 people crashed shortly after takeoff Thursday. Authorities said there were no known survivors.

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It was not immediately clear why Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed into a residential area five minutes after taking off.

Boeing said it was aware of the reports of the crash and was “working to gather more information.”

It was the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787, a widebody, twin-engine plane known as the Dreamliner. But it’s the latest in a string of troubles for Boeing, most of them tied to the 737 Max, a different plane.

Here is a timeline of key events for Boeing in recent years:

December 2009: The 787 Dreamliner makes its first flight, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington.

January 2013: 787s worldwide are grounded nearly three weeks after lithium ion batteries that are part of the planes led to a fire in one plane and smoke in a second.

August 2015: The first 737 Max plane rolls off the production line and within a year are undergoing flight tests.