Boeing Company's new 787 Dreamliner, set to fly its first paying passengers next week, faces four “safety-related concerns” about repairs to the composites used for the fuselage and wings, a U.S. agency said.
A review of the Dreamliner, the first airliner built with mostly carbon-fiber reinforced composite plastics, was released yesterday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The GAO identified four concerns: limited information on the behavior of airplane composite structures; technical issues with the unique properties of the materials; the standardization of repair materials and techniques; and training and awareness.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certified the plane in August following 20 months of flight tests, after requiring the planemaker to take extra steps to demonstrate it meets safety standards. The GAO was asked by three Congress members to review the aviation agency’s certification process and planned oversight once the model enters service, and consulted experts on repair and maintenance issues.
“None of the experts believed these concerns posed extraordinary safety risks or were insurmountable,” the GAO said in its report. The FAA is taking action to address the matters, the report said, and “until these composite airplanes enter service, it is unclear if these actions will be sufficient.”
The 250-seat Dreamliner uses lighter-weight plastics and more electricity to let it fly farther with less fuel. That allows airlines to open new long-haul routes that wouldn’t warrant service with jumbo jets.
Tokyo to Hong Kong
The 787 is scheduled to fly passengers from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Oct. 26 for its initial customer, All Nippon Airways. The Japanese carrier took delivery of the first plane last month, more than three years late, after Boeing struggled with the new materials and manufacturing processes.
“Regardless of the materials we use, Boeing employs the same rigorous methods to deliver products that are safe for the flying public and efficient for airlines,” said Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman in Seattle. “Composite materials have been used in commercial airplanes for decades.
‘‘The concerns in the GAO report are limited to support activities,’’ which already are being addressed through an industrywide effort involving regulators, manufacturers, operators and maintenance and repair organizations, Birtel said.
‘Game-Changer’
Boeing has called the plane a ‘‘game-changer’’ because of its lighter-weight plastics, new engines and an all-electric system. The new technologies also promise a better experience for passengers, the Chicago-based planemaker says.
Boeing has used composites for other airliners before, including the 777, though never for the whole fuselage and wings as is done with the 787.
‘‘The FAA conducts a rigorous certification process for every new airplane that ensures it meets the highest levels of safety, and the FAA has certified commercial aircraft that use composite materials for decades,’’ the agency said in a statement. ‘‘In addition to the extensive certification requirements, the FAA’s robust safety oversight system is designed to detect and correct any issues that may emerge during actual flight.’’
The GAO’s review was requested by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Representative Donna Edwards of Maryland and Representative Jerry Costello of Illinois, all Democrats.
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