Woes do not take a break from Boeing , after Fwd pressure bulkhead and inter segement tolerance problems, Dreamliner program faces another issue with the quality of materials this time !
Already facing delivery restrictions, Boeing revealed on Thursday that the company has received inputs about improperly manufactured B787 Dreamliner parts from one of it's supplier .
Though a lot of technical details on exact part or location of the component is not available, a Wall Street Journal source reports that the defect involved certain titanium parts that are weaker than they should be in their original condition.
However, Boeing does not see the defect a major one,
"While our investigation is ongoing, we have determined that this does not present an immediate safety of flight concern for the active in-service fleet," says a company spokeswoman .
Undelivered aircraft would be reworked as needed, Boeing said, adding that any fleet actions would be determined through its normal review process and confirmed with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Boeing's B787 deliveries are getting delayed due to continuous structural issues popping out , and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) being very strict about them due to a Boeing B737 set back during past two years.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal had reported that Boeing's delivery of B787 Dreamliners will likely remain halted until at least late October as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has rejected the company's recent proposal to inspect them.
The internal audit finding is a raw evidence that the aerospace giant is still trying to fix its manufacturing operations, despite a nearly two-year push by Chief Executive David Calhoun to restore Boeing’s reputation for building quality jets.
A Boeing spokesman said the company is making progress on improving production and is raising its own standards, despite operational interruptions.
“We have strengthened our focus on quality and constantly encourage all members of our team and supply chain to raise any issues that need attention,” the spokesman said. “When issues are raised, that is an indication that these efforts are working.”
Boeing has faced a host of production issues over the past couple of years that, along with two 737 MAX crashes in late 2018 and early 2019, have prompted U.S. air-safety regulators to ratchet up oversight.
Boeing’s 787 woes come as the FAA examines a series of alleged quality-control lapses across Boeing’s commercial-airplane unit, according to an Aug.18 agency letter and people familiar with the probe.
The Dreamliner’s new problem and FAA investigation haven’t been reported before. The Boeing spokesman said the titanium issue was discovered by the company as part of a continuing audit, as the company hones its quality-management system.
Wall Street Journal further says, Boeing and regulators have determined that the new titanium issue doesn’t pose an urgent safety risk to planes currently flying, people familiar with the matter said.
The company performed immediate repairs to two undelivered aircraft that would have been grounded because they contained a high number of the weak parts, these people said.
The company expects to resume handing over the wide-body jets in November at the earliest, later than previously anticipated, people familiar with the company’s plans said.
You may like to read...
