Boeing Dreamliner to face major FAA review

The FAA said Friday morning they believe the 787 Dreamliner is a safe aircraft, but they want to see the entire picture and not simply focus on individual events.

The FAA and the Department of Transportation are launching a major review of the Boeing 787 after a series of problems with the new airplane.

“This review will cover the critical systems of the aircraft, including design, manufacturing and assembly,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

The top to bottom review of the Dreamliner, will look at its design, manufacturing and assembly. It will also include a review of all the outsourced design and manufacturing work.

“We want to see the entire picture. We do not want to simply focus on individual events. We want to determine the root cause of these recent events so that they won’t happen again,” FAA head Michael Huerta said.

A lot of attention will be paid to the planes electrical systems after a series of problems, including a major battery fire in the rear of plane Monday in Boston.

“We’re going to put an emphasis on the electrical systems of the airplane. What this includes is components such as batteries and power distribution panels. We’ll also look at how the electrical and the mechanical systems of the airplane interact with one another,” Huerta said.

The plane has also experienced fuel leaks, and in the last 24 hours a few small problems have also popped up. An engine was leaking oil in one. The outer layer of a cockpit window was cracked in another.

Boeing CEO of Commercial Airplanes Ray Conner said there is nothing he sees in these problems that leads him to believe there are any significant problems.

“The 787 in-service performance to this point is on par with past successful commercial airplane introductions, like Boeing 777. In short, we have complete confidence in the 787 and so do our customers,” Conner said.

The FAA spent 200,000 hours working with Boeing on the Dreamliner before it certified the airplane for service.

Conner understands why this review needs to be completed, and he welcomes it.

“We welcome any opportunity to further to assure people outside of the industry about the integrity of the airplane and the processes that bring us to life,” he said.

Dreamliners will continue to fly during this review. There is no timetable for how long this review will take.