The FAA-Boeing review team was formed after two battery fire incidents in less than two weeks in January 2013 that led regulators to order a global grounding of the airplane. The grounding was lifted three months later in April after Boeing won FAA approval of a battery fix.
The team found that the aircraft was soundly designed, met its intended safety level, and that the company and the FAA had ‘effective processes’ in place to identify and correct any issues that emerged before and after its certification of airworthiness. ‘After the first Boeing 787 battery incident last year, I called for a comprehensive review of the entire design, manufacture and assembly process for the aircraft as well as a critical look at our own oversight,’ FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement.
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners have suffered a series of problems since coming into service, including a cracked windshield, a fault with an air pressure sensor and a fuselage panel that fell off during landing. In early March the company reported hairline cracks were found in the wings of some of its 787s, blaming a supplier’s manufacturing problem.
The team found that the aircraft was soundly designed, met its intended safety level, and that the company and the FAA had ‘effective processes’ in place to identify and correct any issues that emerged before and after its certification of airworthiness. ‘After the first Boeing 787 battery incident last year, I called for a comprehensive review of the entire design, manufacture and assembly process for the aircraft as well as a critical look at our own oversight,’ FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement.
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners have suffered a series of problems since coming into service, including a cracked windshield, a fault with an air pressure sensor and a fuselage panel that fell off during landing. In early March the company reported hairline cracks were found in the wings of some of its 787s, blaming a supplier’s manufacturing problem.