Boeing widens 787 Dreamliner studies after assembly finds tax flaws

Officials said the extensive quality-control tests, which cover the entire melting of the aircraft rather than some sections around the tail, are why the probes take longer than previously expected. It also explains why Dreamliners were not delivered in November. The Chicago-based aircraft revealed inspection and delivery delays on December 4 without stating the reasons for them.

A Boeing spokesman said the defects in question were the smooth surface of the 787’s carbon-alloy fuse. Such areas can create small gaps where the fuse sections are joined together and lead to premature structural fatigue, which will require extensive repair. The spokesman said the studies indicated that parts of the 787 fuses “may not meet the specific skin flat tolerance”.

Defects mark the fourth assembly line fall, affecting Boeing’s famous wide-body jet family, which has come to light in several months. With the exception of May, November 2013 was the only month without Dreamliner delivery, after the Govt-19 epidemic triggered flight operations and forced the aircraft maker to briefly shut down production facilities, according to distribution data analysis.

The Boeing spokesperson last year identified a recent problem with strengthened quality-assurance procedures, while other shortcomings were identified. He added that the company has asked suppliers to do similar checks. “These innovations are part of Boeing’s review of the assembled 787 aircraft, ensuring that each of them meets our highest quality standards before being delivered to customers,” he said.

The FAA, which is considering measures to mitigate the problems by issuing safety orders, issued a statement on Sunday stating that the company will continue to engage with Boeing on “continuous operational safety and production oversight processes to properly address any issues that may arise.”

The wide-body passenger jets first introduced by Boeing in 2011 have an excellent safety record and are frequently used on long international routes. If it is already found on passenger planes, it could address a recent shortcoming during the extensive maintenance tests required by the age of the jets, some officials familiar with the matter said.

Delivery delays threaten to add to Boeing’s financial crisis, which is struggling to cope with the epidemic, which has eroded global demand for air travel and passenger jets. Boeing Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith expects Boeing to continue to destroy the growing inventory of Dreamliners that were not delivered until next year.

Earlier this year, Boeing revealed skin-smooth defects near the rear of aircraft, as well as improperly sized shims – or parts used to fill small gaps where fuse sections are attached together. It was not immediately clear how many planes with skin-smoothing defects were found in additional locations, but officials familiar with the matter said the events appeared to be relatively isolated.

When Boeing engineers previously found defects related to skin smoothness and shim size occur in the same place, the result could be minor flaws, creating a potential risk such as fuse cracking under extreme flying conditions. In August, Boeing voluntarily took extraordinary action to repair eight aircraft in the fleet’s fleet immediately.

Those earlier issues prompted the FAA to reconsider the quality-control deficiencies that have plagued Boeing’s 787 production for more than a decade.

Boeing has previously identified a third quality-control drop affecting the horizontal stabilizer, which is a tail-movable, wing-like panel.

Earlier this month, Mr Smith announced Boeing’s intention to further reduce production of the 787 next year due to weak demand and a growing backlog of stalled aircraft.

Boeing, which has been producing about 10 Dreamliners a month, had 53 built but not delivered 787 aircraft in its inventory for an average of five months in early December, according to airline research firm Ascent by Syrium.

Mr. Smith said Boeing’s monthly production rate of 787 would be less than 10 per cent, and that the SC assembly of the 787s would end up at the Seattle – Area Boeing facility in May, reducing its plant in North Charleston to five.

The 787 production problems were unrelated to the design of the defects in the flight control system, which grounded the global Navy 737 Max jets for almost two years. Aircraft models are built into separate facilities.

Ough Doug Cameron contributed to this article.

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