By means of
Seattle Occasions aerospace reporter
The Federal Aviation Management has opened a brand new investigation into Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner after Boeing disclosed that inspection information on paintings on the wing-to-body sign up for had been falsified.Boeing knowledgeable the FAA in April that it would possibly not have finished required inspections on some 787s to substantiate ok bonding and electric grounding the place the wings sign up for the fuselage physique. Inspection information had been falsified on the jet’s ultimate meeting web site in South Carolina.“The FAA is investigating whether or not Boeing finished the inspections and whether or not corporate staff will have falsified airplane information,” the federal protection company mentioned by the use of e mail.Boeing mentioned its engineers have established that the lapse does now not create “an instantaneous protection of flight factor.”On April 29, Scott Stocker, 787 vice chairman and normal supervisor at Boeing’s meeting plant in North Charleston, S.C., despatched a message to all staff there telling them that one employee had spotted what was once happening and spoke up about it internally. His supervisor knowledgeable executives of the lapse.“After receiving the file, we temporarily reviewed the subject and realized that a number of other people were violating Corporate insurance policies by means of now not acting a required take a look at, however recording the paintings as having been finished,” Stocker wrote.
“Our engineering crew has assessed that this misconduct didn’t create an instantaneous protection of flight factor. However it is going to affect our consumers and manufacturing unit teammates, for the reason that take a look at now must be carried out out of series on airplanes within the construct procedure,” Stocker added.Stocker informed staff within the message that Boeing has “0 tolerance for now not following processes designed to make sure high quality and protection.”He mentioned Boeing promptly knowledgeable the FAA and is “taking swift and critical corrective motion with more than one teammates.”Stocker additionally praised the worker who first flagged the issue.“I sought after to in my view thank and commend that teammate for doing the precise factor,” his message states. “It’s crucial that each one folks talk up once we see one thing that would possibly not glance proper.”Stocker’s message concluded by means of announcing that he’s going to “be assembly quickly with various groups to talk about what we’re doing to make sure this doesn’t occur once more.”The FAA mentioned Boeing is examining all 787 airplanes nonetheless inside the manufacturing machine and will have to additionally create a plan to deal with the in-service fleet.
“Because the investigation continues, the FAA will take any essential motion — as at all times — to make sure the security of the flying public,” the FAA wrote.This new 787 high quality fear is unrelated to the 787 fuselage gaps described as unsafe in an April Congressional listening to by means of Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour.
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Dominic Gates:
206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com; Dominic Gates is a Pulitzer Prize-winning aerospace journalist for The Seattle Occasions.
