7:30 PM PT — Boeing is denying the most troubling parts of the Daily Mail report. The company says, “This story is misleading and reckless. It makes incorrect connections and sensationalizes the standard regulatory process tha has helped ensure air travel is the safest form of transportation. This is not an immediate safety of flight issue.”
The Boeing spokesperson continues, “There are multiple redundancies designed into modern commercial airplanes to ensure protection for electromagnetic effects. The 777 fleet has been operating for nearly 30 years, and has safely flown more than 3.9 billion passengers.”
BTW, a source familiar with FAA procedure tells us the agency’s March memo regarding potential “electrostatic discharge” was a Notice of Proposed Rule Making … which is a description of a proposed rule, and NOT a final rule.
Further, we’re told Boeing had issued a service bulletin in November 2023 regarding this matter, and while many airlines might have already taken action based on that alone … they’re not required to do so until the FAA makes a final rule.
The Boeing saga has a concerning new update … as another fleet of jets has a fatal flaw needing to be fixed – according to a new report.
According to Daily Mail, the aerospace company’s 777 jets are dealing with an electrical flaw, called “electrostatic discharge,” which could prove disastrous for the planes’ fuel tanks – namely it could cause the wings to catch on fire and/or explode.
The outlet states the flaw was uncovered in a notice by the Federal Aviation Administration … which stated almost 300 planes could be at risk – including aircrafts in United and American Airlines’ inventory.
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1/5/24
The FAA reportedly advised the company to shell out the projected $698,000 it’d cost to fix the at-risk planes … recommending new electrical bonding and grounding be implemented.
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5/8/24
The issue was initially reported in March by the FAA … who reportedly gave Boeing until May 9 to respond — but there’s no insight into whether a response was issued. However, a Boeing spokesperson told the outlet the March notice from the FAA was over “proposed rulemaking” … wanting Boeing to comment on the situation before the agency mandated fixes to the 777 series.
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5/20/24
This is just the latest hurdle in Boeing’s PR disaster … as its planes have faced everything from doors blowing off mid-flight to engine fires to deadly crashes.
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1/31/24
TMZ.com
John Barnett, a former quality manager at Boeing-turned-whistleblower, issued a warning on TMZ earlier this year … alleging he’d seen Boeing turn a blind eye to safety concerns for years.
He later died by suicide while embroiled in a lawsuit against Boeing.
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5/9/24
All eyes are certainly on Boeing right now … which will certainly face questions about the latest claims in this new report.