787 Dreamliner

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered Boeing to conduct inspections on the entire fleet of its in-service wide-body, twin-engine 787 Dreamliner jets due to a technical issue in the fuel-line connectors.

The FAA’s directive comes after Boeing and the agency received complaints of fuel leaks from two airlines; one has been reported to be Japan’s All Nippon Airways, while the other has not been identified.

Boeing stated that the problem was due to improperly installed couplings that in a worst case scenario may cause an aircraft to run out of fuel, engine-power loss or fire.

"Inspections were completed on half of the Dreamliners that have been delivered so far and Boeing has been taking necessary precautions to ensure correct installations on aircraft in production."

The couplings are placed in pylons that support the twin engines of the aeroplane.

In November, Boeing asked its customers to undertake an inspection of their fleet of 787; the company said that at least 16 aircraft had already been inspected.

Boeing spokesman Lori Gunter was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that inspections were completed on half of the Dreamliners that have been delivered so far and the company was taking necessary precautions to ensure correct installations on aircraft in production.

Boeing, which has delivered 33 787 jets to date, has been coping with deliveries delayed by more than three years and has a backlog of 838 orders worth $173bn.

In September this year, FAA issued an airworthiness directive for the 787 and 747 after it traced problems in General Electric GEnx engines that were powered on these variants.

Meanwhile, a 787 Dreamliner operated by the United Airlines had to make an emergency landing in New Orleans on yesterday due to an unspecified mechanical problem.


Image: Boeing noted that about 16 out of 33 Dreamliners delivered have already been inspected. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.