Yet another fleet of Boeing airplanes was found to have a potentially disastrous flaw — one that could set the entire aircraft ablaze.
The Federal Aviation Administration found that the company’s 777 liner has poor electrical insulation near its fuel tank, according to a proposed rule the federal regulator posted in March.
“This condition, if not addressed, could result in an ignition source inside the fuel tank and subsequent fire or explosion,” the Airworthiness Directives note states.
The possibly deadly fault would affect nearly 300 of Boeing’s aircraft across the US: the 77–200, –200LR, –300, –300ER, and 777F series jets.
Though an older jet, the Boeing 777 is commonly used across the globe, especially by American and United Airlines — and is the same massive twinjet that plunged 6,000 feet during a Singapore Airlines flight this week that injured dozens and killed a 73-year-old grandfather.
Although the FAA’s report exposes the liner’s vulnerability, the federal regulator is not required to address the issue — a project that the FAA estimates would cost $14 million to fix.
The agency has proposed that Boeing adopt a new inspection regime in which operators would spend 90 hours evaluating each airplane before installing Teflon sleeves and cap fasteners to certain parts of the center, left and right main fuel tanks.
The suggested repairs come after the FAA issued a similar direction in 2017 to address a larger number of the 777 models to “prevent arcing inside the main and center fuel tanks in the event of a fault current or lightning strike, which in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane,” the filing said.
The FAA reported the issue in March and ordered Boeing to respond by May 9. If adopted, Boeing would have as long as 60 months to make the repairs.
“We are aware of the FAA’s notice of proposed rulemaking and had previously issued guidance to 777 operators on this,” Boeing told Bloomberg.
“We fully support the FAA’s recommendation to make that guidance mandatory.”
Boeing has been under heightened scrutiny in recent months due to myriad issues on its planes, including in January, when a door plug blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight.
Following the Jan. 5 mid-air fiasco, the Federal Aviation Administration discovered “unacceptable” quality control issues during an audit into Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
