Report: Boeing to inspect 787 Dreamliners for cracks in wings
Mar 7, 2014, 1:57 PM | Updated: 3:51 pm
Boeing has reportedly discovered cracks in the wings of dozens of 787 Dreamliners currently under production. (AP file)
(AP file)
New problems for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner have come to light after the company revealed Friday a manufacturing problem caused cracks in the wings of some jets requiring inspections of 42 and delaying some deliveries, the Wall Street Journal first reported Friday.
The cracks were discovered after wing-maker Mitsubishi Heavy Industries informed the company a change in its manufacturing process in Japan may cause the cracks in the wings. Subsequent inspections revealed cracks on some jets, a Boeing spokesman said.
The company said in a statement it is confident none of the 123 787s delivered to date are affected by the wing issue.
Boeing was reportedly notified of the issue in February.
“We understand the issue, what must be done to correct it, and are completing inspections of potentially affected airplanes. We are addressing affected airplanes as required,” said the statement.
Boeing expects inspections and repairs for each airplane to take one to two weeks, depending on where the plane is in the production process. The Journal reports about 17 of the 42 airplanes are fully completed and seven have undergone pre-delivery flight tests; the rest are in various states of assembly.
The carbon fiber composite wing is built at Mitsubishi’s Nagoya, Japan, factory before it is shipped to Everett and South Carolina. Some of the cracked wings have not been shipped, while others are on jets being assembled in the U.S.
