By Roger Yu, USA TODAY
Boeing said Thursday it recently identified "a workmanship issue" with the horizontal stabilizers on 787 Dreamliner jets, and the manufacturer will not fly its five test planes until they're fixed.
"Some airplanes have issues with improperly installed shims and the torque of associated fasteners," the company's statement says. "This finding requires inspection of all airplanes and rework if discrepancies are found."
Inspection on each of the 23 planes already built are expected to take one to two days. Fixing any problems may take up to eight days for each plane, Boeing says.
The 787, which has been delayed repeatedly in the past due to production-related problems, remains on track for first delivery to ANA by the end of the year, it says.
"It is not unusual for these issues to arise in the course of production programs," the company says.
The Seattle Times reported Thursday that engineers discovered a quality problem within the past week "that could lead to cracking at the point where the horizontal tail attaches to the fuselage." Brackets that help hold the horizontal tail, also called a stabilizer, were improperly installed, it says.
The horizontal tails are built by Italian manufacturing partner Alenia.
Posted Jun 25 2010 11:45AM