A team of engineers from the Federal Aviation Industry and Boeing will conduct a “comprehensive review” of the B787 Dreamliner, following a series of incidents involving the aircraft.
The FAA confirmed it will conduct a “comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly”, in order to “validate the work conducted during the certification process and further ensure that the aircraft meets the FAA’s high level of safety”.
The review will focus on the aircraft’s electrical power and distribution system, and will “examine how the electrical and mechanical systems interact with each other”.
In a statement FAA administrator Michael P Huerta said,
“We are confident that the aircraft is safe. But we need to have a complete understanding of what is happening.
"We are conducting the review to further ensure that the aircraft meets our high safety standards.”
The FAA will conduct the review alongside Boeing engineers, with the work expected to begin in Seattle, but with the possibility of it expanding to other locations “over the course of several months”.
Boeing also released a statement in which it said that the B787 is “a safe and efficient airplane that brings tremendous value to our customers and an improved flying experience to their passengers”.
“The airplane has logged 50,000 hours of flight and there are more than 150 flights occurring daily. Its in-service performance is on par with the industry’s best-ever introduction into service – the Boeing 777. Like the 777, at 15 months of service, we are seeing the 787’s fleet wide dispatch reliability well above 90 percent.
“More than a year ago, the 787 completed the most robust and rigorous certification process in the history of the FAA. We remain fully confident in the airplane’s design and production system.”
However the manufacturer admitted that “While the 787’s reliability is on par with the best in class, we have experienced in-service issues in recent months and we are never satisfied while there is room for improvement”.
These issues have included an apparent fuel leak and an electrical fire on separate B787 aircraft operated by Japan Airlines, as well as a cracked cockpit window and concerns regarding the brakes on ANA Dreamliners.
To date eight carriers have taken delivery of the Boeing Dreamliner: ANA, JAL, Ethiopian Airlines, LAN, Air India, United Airlines, Qatar Airways and LOT Polish Airlines.
For more information visit boeing.com, faa.gov, and for a comprehensive guide to current and forthcoming Dreamliner operators click here.
Report by Mark Caswell
