Boeing Co. said it's inspecting undelivered 787 Dreamliners after discovering that fasteners were incorrectly installed on a section of the carbon-composite aircraft.
The company hasn't yet halted deliveries of its marquee widebody jets as it determines whether any rework will be needed to fix the incorrectly torqued fasteners, which connect the mid-section of the carbon-composite barrels to interior strengthening components.
"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," Boeing said in a statement Thursday. "The in-service fleet can continue to safely operate. We are taking the time necessary to ensure all airplanes meet our delivery standards prior to delivery."
The issue is the latest to come to light as US regulators ramp up oversight of Boeing following a near-catastrophe with another jet model, the 737 Max, earlier this year. Federal Aviation Administration head Mike Whitaker, speaking on Thursday at a Senate hearing, said his agency has "multiple active investigations we're developing and are processing a number of reports filed by whistleblowers and through our safety hotline."
Boeing said it discovered the manufacturing glitch as part of it quality management system, and that it alerted the FAA. The discovery was first reported on Thursday by Reuters.
Whitaker said that his agency won't lift a cap on output for the 737 Max model until he's satisfied the company meets the FAA's requirements.
"The FAA will continue to hold Boeing accountable for producing and delivering safe aircraft," Whitaker said. "We have capped production and we will not grant any production expansion of the Max above that level until we're satisfied that we can do so safely."
