Boeing Investigates New Issues With 787 Dreamliners

Boeing has been under fire since the beginning of 2024. In February, the airline manufacturer’s safety deficiencies were brought to light in a study produced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Then, when the FAA revealed last month that a fresh investigation into the 787 Dreamliners had been launched, the once-preeminent firm was faced with yet another controversy.

Now, Reuters exclusively confirmed that Boeing itself launched a new investigation into undelivered 787 Dreamliners after it was discovered that hundreds of fasteners were installed incorrectly. More than 900 fasteners per plane, split equally between both sides of the jet’s mid-body, have been affected by this snafu.

“Our 787 team is checking fasteners in the side-of-body area of some undelivered 787 Dreamliner airplanes to ensure they meet our engineering specifications. The in-service fleet can continue to safely operate,” a spokesperson for the company said to the outlet.

The spokesperson continued: “We are taking the time necessary to ensure all airplanes meet our delivery standards prior to delivery. We are working closely with our customers and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and keeping them updated.”

Boeing is currently determining the next appropriate steps to take in order to fix the issue, according to a source familiar with the matter. The FAA also confirmed there was an issue with the fasteners and said in a statement that they are “working closely with Boeing to determine appropriate actions and to ensure an immediate fix in the production system.”

Due to the quality of the 787s, Boeing was previously the subject of an investigation. Production flaws and quality problems forced the suspension of the 787’s delivery in 2021. This situation persisted until August 2022, when the FAA carried out further inquiries.

Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour allegedly brought up technical issues that affected the structural integrity of the airplane. Salehpour expressed worries about shortcuts being made during the 787 assembly process, supposedly to reduce bottlenecks, according to his attorneys.

Salehpour’s concerns prompted an inquiry by the FAA.

The FAA expressed worry over the improper or nonexistent performance of safety inspections on the 787 Dreamliners, as well as the possibility that business personnel misrepresented the conduct of safety inspections. Boeing personnel were told to start inspecting the 787s that have not yet been delivered, while the agency is also working on a strategy for the 787s that have already been delivered to airline clients.

However, Boeing “voluntarily informed us in April that it may not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes,” according to information provided by the FAA.