Electrical flaw in Boeing 777 plane could lead to fuel tank explosions

Boeing’s Latest Conundrum: Potentially Hazardous Fault in 777 Airplanes

A newly discovered flaw in a group of Boeing 777 airplanes has raised a safety red flag. This defect, if left unattended, could lead to a devastating fire outbreak.

In March, Boeing revealed that its 777 airliners suffer from substandard electrical insulation around the fuel tank, as indicated in a proposed rule by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Potential Risks

As mentioned in the Airworthiness Directives note released by the FAA, “This issue, if overlooked, might create an ignition source inside the fuel tank, potentially leading to a fire or explosion.”

Almost 300 Boeing aircraft in the US, such as the 77–200, –200LR, –300, –300ER, and 777F series jets, are at risk from this potentially lethal flaw. Despite the 777 being an older model, major airlines such as American and United Airlines use it extensively. The same model had a catastrophic 6,000 feet fall during a Singapore Airlines flight this week, resulting in numerous injuries and the tragic death of a 73-year-old grandfather.

FAA’s Proposed Solution and Costs

Upon Boeing’s report of this vulnerability, the FAA proposed a solution requiring an estimated total expenditure of $14 million to resolve the issue on all 292 affected US-registered airplanes.

“The FAA issued the proposed AD in March 2024, which would necessitate the installation of electrical bonding and grounding to a component in the center fuel tank. It would make mandatory service actions that Boeing described in a November 2023 alert bulletin,” mentioned an FAA spokesperson.

Operators and Airlines Bear the Responsibility

Importantly, the responsibility of effecting these fixes doesn’t lie with Boeing but with the operators and airlines that own these twinjets. If the proposed solution is implemented, each aircraft would have to undergo approximately 90 hours of inspection before Teflon sleeves and cap fasteners are installed in specific parts of the center, left, and right main fuel tanks.

The FAA’s recommendations come in the wake of its 2017 directive, which sought to brace a larger number of 777 models against potential fuel tank explosions caused by arcing inside the main and center fuel tanks in the event of a fault current or lightning strike.

Timeline and Boeing’s Response

The FAA released the report detailing these concerns in March and gave Boeing until May 9 to reply. If accepted, Boeing will have up to 60 months to make the repairs. This timeframe implies the issue, though important, isn’t instantly threatening.

“We are aware of the FAA’s notice of proposed rulemaking and had previously issued guidance to 777 operators on this,” Boeing disclosed to Bloomberg, adding, “We fully support the FAA’s recommendation to make that guidance mandatory.”

“This is not an immediate safety of flight issue. 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” a Boeing spokesperson said to The Post.

Boeing is under increased scrutiny owing to recent concerns about its aircraft models, such as in January when a door plug blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight. An FAA audit into Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems uncovered “unacceptable” quality control issues following the mishap on Jan 5.