Associated Press | Boeing said it will fix a design flaw in the tail section of its new
787, and it still expects to start delivering the plane by the end of
this year.
Spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said on Tuesday that testing showed that the
outer skin of the plane and the bracket-like piece of metal that holds
it near the tail could separate slightly. She said Boeing will change
the way the device is made, and that should fix the problem.
The problem includes the tail cone and the piece of the fuselage near the horizontal stabilizer, the part on the tail that looks like a wing. The tail cone is made by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., and the fuselage section was made by Boeing at its plant in Charleston, S.C. Leach said the parts were made to specifications but the specifications need to be changed.
Boeing will fix all but the first three planes it produced, she said. Those first three planes are being used for testing only and will not be delivered to customers.
Boeing Co. has told suppliers to stop delivering 787 parts for almost five weeks. Leach said the design problem was one small part of that delay, but not the main cause.
The issue was reported Monday on FlightBlogger, part of the Flightglobal aviation news website.
Boeing shares lost $1.84, or 2.6 percent, at $67.84 in afternoon trading.
What is so called “Chicago based” Boeing using for engineering? The Wright Brothers’ Dayton bicycle shop techniques? You wonder if the jobs of any of their Chicago based execs will be on the line. Probably not.
I wonder if anyone really wants to get onto a plane that has that many reported flaws, or if, for safety sake, it is prevented from ever getting off the ground.
it seems as if this 787 program keeps getting worse and worse as time goes on. we’ve seen how reliable BP is when it comes to safety over profits; at this point, are you going to trust boeing?
many new model production passenger aircraft have fallen from the skies over the decades due to design flaws, often years after they were introduced. sorry, we can’t build ‘em that way anymore. as it stands now, i’m not going to get on board a 787.
Idiotic comments about plane safety are either plants by competitors or made by people whose sole purpose in life is criticizing others. Any new plane that breaks the old bounds has design issues – but the 787s are being tested in advance of entry into service so rigorously that almost any possible fault will be detected and solved before delivery to airlines. Boeing has an unparalleled record for delivering safe aircraft – and addressing the most minor of safety details as long as the aircraft is in service. The fact that flight testing continues on schedule, obviously approved by the FAA and god knows what other government agencies, indicates that this is not a major issue. Chill, folks – this is going to be a great aircraft.
Apparently Jasonhad works for Chicago Headquartered Boeing? So Jasonhand, are you going to be the first to fly on an 787? I would think anything thats 2 years behind production is giong to have shortcuts put in there somewhere just to catch up. Personally, I’d avoid 787’s until a few years to verify that it’s a good plane.
If you think designing and building one of the most complex machines on the planet doesn’t take “working out of the bugs”, well…. It is part of the process. Hopefully you are not getting on any airplanes, I assure you they went thru the same thing. As a matter of fact all the planes designed before C.A.D had many times more of these design changes and fixes building the first few.
Jim said:
“many new model production passenger aircraft have fallen from the skies over the decades due to design flaws, often years after they were introduced.”
Huh? I can’t think of one, let alone many.
That plane is definately not for you, stick to Amtrak. But thanks for the positive,up-beat post.
People, relax. This is exactly why new planes are tested. The Airbus A380 had similar problems during initial test flights. In the end, the 787 will be great and I can’t wait to fly on one.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Boeing is all aboute safety and we build tanks not yugos. Beleive me we are already working on it as of 18th and it requires a very minor fix. It will not cause any delay.
This is a great plane and very advance in technology then any Aircraft MFG in the world. Others can only steal technology and build reverse engineered planes.