The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just given Boeing the green light again for deliveries of the Boeing 787. But now there are problems again. Leaking faucets are a concern for the FAA. These could endanger flight safety.
Previously, she had requested that a component of the fuselage be checked and adjusted again. But there are problems again.
The authority wants to ask airlines to carry out additional inspections of faucets on their Boeing 787s. There is a risk of water escaping under the toilet and eventually getting near electronics that are critical to flight safety, a document said.
Again problems with Boeing’s Dreamliner
This is a so-called “announcement of a planned regulation”. Translated, this means: The FAA would like to issue a safety instruction. But first there is a 45-day period in which the authority accepts comments.
In the planned safety advisory, the FAA would require all Dreamliner operators to regularly inspect certain modules on the faucets in the restrooms. That would be a temporary solution until Boeing has replaced the relevant parts.
Authority warns: Boeing 787 Dreamliner have a water tap problem
The faucet problem came to light after an unnamed airline noticed a wet carpet in the cockpit of an airplane. When their entire 787 fleet was subsequently inspected, several aircraft were found with leaking faucets, leaving the carpets wet.
According to the AP news agency, Boeing has confirmed that a faulty seal can lead to minor leaks. However, the problem is limited to just a few Boeing 787s. However, the FAA would require all Dreamliners to be checked in the planned safety instructions.
In December, the FAA had already warned of problems with water leaks
You can’t really relax at Boeing with the Dreamliners. The producer only started delivering the long-haul jets again in August 2022 – after a break of almost two years. The reason for that was a whole litany of problems in the production of the long-distance model.
The renewed – albeit shorter – delivery stop this February threw the aircraft manufacturer back again. And the customers feel the problems too. For example, American Airlines recently decided to suspend the Philadelphia-Madrid route for a few weeks in May and early June 2023 because deliveries of the Boeing 787 were delayed.
As recently as December, the FAA had already warned of problems with water leaks. However, there was a fault in the drinking water system. In one instance, a loss of water pressure resulted in water entering the front electronics bay and “several electronic devices were compromised.
This article was written by Laura Frommberg