Boeing Dreamliner’s Composite Repairs Questioned by U.S. Agency

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Boeing Co. (BA)’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.” .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-21/boeing-dreamliner-s-composite-repairs-questioned-by-u-s-agency.html

[Dennis Donovan]

1. This won't affect brand new aircraft, since such repairs wouldn't have been done yet

[marmar]

2. True, but there's the question of durability with composite materials.....

Said repairs might be needed a lot sooner.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. Er, not so.