Beijing, August 21 (Xinhua) -- Boeing received two pieces of bad news on the 19th: the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States requested global airlines to inspect the captain's seat of its three Boeing 787 Dreamliners for any problems, and the Boeing 777-9X aircraft also suspended test flights due to component failures.
According to the airworthiness directive issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States on that day, 158 registered 787 aircraft in the United States and 737 787 aircraft in other parts of the world may have related issues. According to Reuters and Agence France Presse, if the captain's seat is moved without instructions, it may cause the aircraft to disconnect from the autopilot system, leading to rapid descent and serious injury to passengers and crew.
On February 11, 2012, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed at Changi Airport in Singapore. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Deng Zhiwei)
On March 11th of this year, a 787-9 aircraft operated by the large South American airline group Latham Airlines experienced technical issues while flying from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand, causing the plane to suddenly dive and injuring approximately 50 people on board.
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States said that the cause of the plane's mid air dive was the captain's seat moving forward horizontally without instructions. There have been five similar incidents of captain and co pilot seat issues so far, with the most recent occurring in June. At present, two incidents are still under investigation, and the other three incidents were found to be caused by the "loosening" of the seat adjustment switch cap after investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States requires all relevant airlines to inspect the pilot and co pilot seats of their 787-7, 787-9, and 787-10 aircraft within 30 days to determine if the seat rocker switch cap is missing or cracked, and if the switch cover assembly is cracked. The airworthiness directive requires that if a problem is found, each airline should take necessary corrective measures.
Reuters said that Boeing and Latham Airlines have not yet commented on airworthiness directives.
On June 19, 2023, a Boeing 777X aircraft performed a flight demonstration at the Paris Air Show held at Bourget Airport near Paris, France. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
On the same day, Boeing announced the suspension of 777-9X aircraft test flights, citing last week's routine maintenance inspection that found a component between the engine and fuselage structure of one of the test aircraft models was not functioning properly. The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States issued a type inspection approval letter to Boeing in July, and Boeing immediately began the test flights required for the 777-9X aircraft to undergo flight suitability certification. The Federal Aviation Administration announced on the 19th that it has received a notice from Boeing to suspend test flights.
The 777X aircraft is divided into two types: 777-8X and 777-9X. Boeing stated that the faulty component was specifically customized for the 777-9X aircraft and will not arrange for three additional 777-9X aircraft to test fly in the near future.
According to CNBC, 481 777X aircraft have been ordered and were originally scheduled to be delivered from 2020, but have now been postponed to 2025.
According to CNBC, the news of the suspension of test flights comes at a time when Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Altberg, and other leadership are working hard to lead the company through a "safety crisis" since the door jam incident at the beginning of this year.