(Bloomberg) -- US aviation regulators proposed a directive to require maintenance record checks or inspections of some of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliners after the planemaker reported a missed test on a part for the main landing gear.
The proposed directive, which would apply to all 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 models, would affect an estimated 156 US-registered aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In the regulatory filing, known as an airworthiness directive, the agency said Boeing reported that an inspection designed to detect cracks or defects wasn’t performed during the manufacture of the landing gear part.
Boeing said no in-service events have occurred on the affected aircraft. The company provided guidance about the issue to 787 operators in November 2023.
The FAA said a subsequent investigation determined the safety lapse “was caused by human error” and was isolated to a single technician. Undetected cracks could lead to a fracture of the part — an “unsafe condition” that may cause the landing gear to collapse, the regulator said.
The revelation comes as Boeing faces heightened scrutiny from regulators after a mid-air blowout on one of its 737 Max jets in January uncovered manufacturing and quality lapses at its factories. Since then, the planemaker has made strides to try to address the issues, including by encouraging more employees to report problems they see on the shop floor.
The FAA disclosed in May a separate investigation involving the 787 after Boeing alerted authorities to potentially missed inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings attach to the aircraft body.
(Adds Boeing comment in third paragraph.)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
