Dreamliner B787 next to be grounded after Boeing 737 MAX?

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Boeing MAX remains grounded,  now Pilots warn regulators about a problem on Boeings Dreamliners.

A critical fire-fighting system on Boeing’s ยฃ160million Dreamliner fleet was found to have the possibility of malfunctioning.    Boeing issued an alert, warning that the switch used to extinguish an engine fire and sever fuel supply and hydraulic fluid to stop flames from spreading on its B787 aircraft failed in a ‘small number’ of cases.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the problem was ‘likely to exist or develop in other products of the same design’, warning that ‘the potential exists for an airline fire to be uncontrollable’.  FAA, however, decided not to ground the Dreamliner but ordered airlines like British Airways or TUI to check the switch every 30 days.

Pilots claimed that passenger and crew safety is being compromised, with one pilot telling a British newspaper: ‘If there was an engine fire on a transatlantic flight and the aircraft had one of the defective fire switches, then we would have to fly with a burning wing for up to three hours before we could safely land.’

Boeing warned that long-term heating could cause the fire switch to become stuck in the locked position, meaning it could not be used to release the two fire extinguishers in each of the aircraft’s engines.

Boeing said fewer than 1% of fire switches proved defective and is supported airlines with inspections and replacement parts.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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