Boeing aware of metal 'fragility' issues before aircraft part plunged into Shanghai factory
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 19 July, 2015, 4:34am
UPDATED : Sunday, 19 July, 2015, 10:01am
Danny Lee [email protected]
The aircraft part that smashed into the factory on Monday. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Aerospace giant Boeing has ordered airlines around the world to address a "fragility" problem after a section of landing gear from one of its 777 passenger jets broke off shortly after take-off from Shanghai last week and plummeted 3,700 metres into a city suburb.
Fortunately, no one was injured, but the incident has raised concerns of a possible repeat after the airline involved - which the Sunday Morning Post can reveal was Air France - and Boeing both acknowledged they had been aware of "issues" with the section of landing gear for some time. More than a thousand Boeing 777 aircraft are in service around the world - of which Cathay Pacific operates 69.
Flight 111 had just left Shanghai's Pudong airport for Paris when a sheet of metal weighing 60kg plunged down through a factory rooftop.
Air France has launched a fleet-wide inspection of 66 Boeing 777 jets delivered between 1998 and 2008, after the aircraft's US manufacturer and the airline said the "fragility" of the metal attached to the plane's landing gear known as the "drag strut door" was known to them.
It remains unclear how the problem will be "addressed".
Aviation expert David Learmount, of Flight Global, said: "Air France is aware of it, Boeing is aware of it. Boeing is probably looking for some kind of fix, then it looks at it and says a fix will be so costly we'll have to charge the fix to the airlines as well. Actually, having the odd failure - since the failures are so few - does that justify the expense of making a modification which itself might have its problems?"
Air France spokeswoman Cecile Baudin-Hardin said: "Other airlines have also experienced problems with the fragility of this part."
However, Boeing spokesman Christopher Villiers said: "Boeing is aware of this issue, and we are actively engaged with our customers. We have advised customers how to address this issue, and we have implemented the change for airplanes produced in our factories."
Cathay Pacific said it had been given "relevant advice" by Boeing. The airline said it was in talks on providing "specific measures" to other operators of 777 jets.
"Cathay Pacific has not experienced a similar incident," a spokeswoman said.
Air France confirmed that the aircraft lost a "removable panel shortly after take-off" and that a probe by the airline and Boeing is under way to determine why.
"The loss of this panel did not affect the aircraft's airworthiness ... The flight continued to Paris without incident," it said.
