Boeing Discovers New Issue That Affects Near

The issue comes as the planemaker just increased production of the aircraft.

Nearly 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners set to be delivered by Boeing could be delayed due to a newly discovered production concern. The plane manufacturer confirmed the issue on Tuesday, saying the affected planes will be fixed before delivery.

The production flaw does not result in any safety issues of Dreamliners currently in service but adds to the number of challenges Boeing has faced with its widebody jet. Similar to the other concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been made aware of the issue.

In a statement to Simple Flying, Boeing noted the issue is related to the aircraft's stabilizer.

"We are inspecting 787s in our inventory for a nonconforming condition related to a fitting on the horizontal stabilizer. Airplanes found to have a nonconforming condition will be reworked prior to ticket and delivery."

The affected component in production is not produced by Boeing but rather by a supplier. But, the company said the attachment fitting is installed on the Dreamliner's horizontal stabilizer at a Boeing facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The horizontal stabilizer, essential to the appropriate balance of the aircraft's aerodynamics, is located in the rear of the plane, just under the tail.

According to Reuters, Boeing discovered the attachment fitting had shimming that was not appropriately sized, which did not meet the required specifications. Shimming is a material that fills gaps between surfaces on aircraft. Aircraft that were set to be delivered, but were suspected of the issue, were reportedly stopped on Friday.

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Correspondingly, 90 Dreamliners currently in Boeing's inventory will undergo an inspection before being delivered. The manufacturer expects that repairing the faulty stabilizers will take up to a couple of weeks for each affected aircraft, which would impact deliveries scheduled within the month.

"Boeing's technical team is working to understand the full work statement to rework inventory airplanes prior to delivery," said Jim Proulx, Senior Media Relations Advisor of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "It is early and we are still finalizing the rework plan, but we would expect to be able to complete the rework within a couple of weeks per airplane."

With the current timeline of repairs, the company does not anticipate that deliveries in the long term will be impacted.

"While the inspections and required rework will affect timing of near-term 787 deliveries, at this time we do not expect that this issue will change our full-year guidance regarding 787 deliveries," Proulx explained.

Current aircraft in service worldwide can still operate, as Boeing shared that the issue does not pose any immediate concerns to flight safety. The company also contacted the FAA and airlines with the aircraft in operation of the problem, saying it will keep them informed of any progress.

It is unclear what caused the production flaw, how many of the 90 jets in inventory will need to be repaired, or if any in-service aircraft need to be fixed. It comes as Boeing just increased 787 production to four planes a month from three last week, according to Reuters.

The issue is the latest challenge involving the 787. In March, the FAA cleared Boeing to resume deliveries after halting them in February due to an issue related to the fuselage. Then in April, the agency ordered aircraft inspections after discovering leaky faucets in the lavatories.

Source: Reuters

An aviation geek at heart, Channing shares a similar interest in telling stories. His longtime passion for traveling and airplanes brings a unique approach to his reporting. Spending most of his career in local news, Channing is thrilled to finally combine both passions by joining the Simple Flying team. US West Coast-based.