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(Reuters) – Boeing Co PROHIBITION It said late Thursday that it was in talks with US safety regulators about a manufacturing problem found last year in its 787 Dreamliner.
KOMO News Radio in Seattle reported that the problem involved the vertical tail fin on the 787, citing federal records, and could affect 680 aircraft.
It was the fourth reported production issue revealed in recent days involving the 787.
When asked about the latest issue, the Federal Aviation Administration reiterated Thursday that it “is investigating manufacturing flaws affecting certain Boeing 787 aircraft,” but had not made a decision on whether to issue new airworthiness directives.
KOMO said the problem involved excessive clearances that could pose a safety concern and put stress on the aircraft’s structure over time.
Boeing said in a statement that the newly reported “problem was found in late 2019” and had been addressed in production. It added that its engineers determined that it “did not immediately affect the safety of the flight and no immediate action is required.”
The largest US aircraft manufacturer added that it was “working with the FAA to finalize guidance for the in-service fleet. Our expectation is that this will require a one-time inspection during regularly scheduled maintenance. “
Boeing said Tuesday that it learned during the manufacture of the 787 horizontal stabilizer that some components were held with greater than specified force, which could result in an incorrect gap check and fit.
A person briefed on the matter said the horizontal stabilizer problem could require inspection of up to 900 aircraft.
On Monday, the FAA said it was also investigating two other manufacturing flaws in about 787s.
Boeing said in August that airlines had decommissioned eight 787s as a result of two separate manufacturing problems in the fuselage sections.
Boeing said Monday that some aircraft had shims that were not the proper size and that some aircraft had areas that did not meet skin flatness specifications. Shims are used to close small gaps in the joints. Boeing identified the shim problem in August 2019.
“Individually, these problems, while not meeting specifications, still meet the limit load conditions. However, when combined in the same location, they result in a condition that does not meet the load limit requirements, ”said Boeing.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney
