FAA considers the need for an inspection of the landing gear of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

FAA considers the need for an inspection of the landing gear of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Following the manufacturer's report on the absence of certain inspections on the Boeing 787's main landing gear (MLG) during production, the FAA suggested issuing an airworthiness directive (AD).

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In its explanation of the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the FAA revealed that a Boeing report indicated that fluorescent penetrant inspection was not performed on four MLG drag strut lower link assemblies during manufacturing.

The FAA highlighted that if the situation is not addressed, there is a risk of MLG collapse, which could lead to loss of directional control while the aircraft is on the ground and possibly increase the risk of a runway excursion or tank penetration. wing fuel.

According to the proposed rulemaking, the AD was based on the Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin (RB) B787-81205-SB320048-00 RB, Issue 001, dated November 20, 2023. Although the RB specifies that only aircraft with numbers Line Numbers (LN) 6 through 1168 were affected, the FAA stated that the proposed directive would apply to all Boeing 787 variants, including the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 models.

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“Because the affected drag strut lower lock link assemblies are rotating parts, the FAA determined that these parts could be later installed on airplanes that were initially delivered with acceptable drag strut lower lock link assemblies, thereby subjecting these aircraft to unsafe condition.”

The FAA has set September 16 as the deadline for interested parties to comment on the NPRM. After considering the , the agency will publish the final AD directive rule.

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