A new defect has reportedly been found on some of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft assembled over the past three years.
Unspecified titanium parts in the airliners were found to be weaker than they should be, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
AeroTime has reached out to Boeing for comment.
This discrepancy is the latest in a series of structural problems found in Boeing 787 Dreamliners assembled in the past few years.
In August 2020, the aft fuselage section of some Dreamliners was found to be unable to withstand maximum stress. A month later, another problem was identified, with parts of the horizontal stabilizer clamped together with greater force than they were designed to be.
As a consequence, production was cut. After being suspended for five months, deliveries briefly resumed in March 2021. But they were suspended again in May 2021 as the FAA requested more data regarding Boeing’s response to the manufacturing problems. In July 2021, the US regulator announced that another defect was found “near the nose on certain 787 Dreamliners”.
In its September 2021 production report, Boeing said it was continuing “comprehensive inspections across the 787 production system and within the supply chain, while holding detailed, transparent discussions with the FAA, suppliers and our customers” in order to resume deliveries.
