The FAA moved closer to another round of mandatory Boeing 787 checks by proposing a new airworthiness directive requiring inspections for fatigue cracking linked to improper shim gaps in the wing structure. According to the FAA’s notice, the issue stems from manufacturing errors and excessive preload forces at the lower side-of-body splice plates common to the lower outboard wing skins, where shim gaps may have exceeded engineering limits and allowed cracks to initiate at fastener holes. The agency warned that undetected cracking could weaken the primary wing structure to the point that it might no longer sustain the limit load, making this more than a paperwork exercise and keeping long-running 787 production-quality concerns firmly in view. The proposal applies to certain 787-8, -9, and -10 aircraft and follows Boeing’s own investigation into the condition, making it one of the more important regulatory-quality stories of the period.
Images: Boeing Media