The FAA orders fix for Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an ordered for all airlines to fix an issue with certain engines on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner due to engine icing issues. The problem reported is related to the specific model GEnx-1B PIP2 engine built by General Electric. This model may be susceptible to internal engine icing, which may cause the engine to shut down during flight. The issue reportedly effects 176 aircraft in service, or about 4 out of every 9 Dreamliners currently in service. The recommended fix involves a modification to the engine to prevent ice from accumulating on the fan blades. Airlines are being asked to modify or replace at least one of the two engines on the affected aircraft in the next five months. The order was issued following an incident where one of the two engines on a Japan Airlines 787 jet failed in flight en route to Tokyo from Vancouver, Canada. The crew was not able to get the failed engine restarted, and had to continue on to Narita Airport with one working engine.
The FAA orders fix for Boeing 787 again
This is not the first time that we have heard that the FAA orders a fix for the Boeing 787 aircraft. In January of 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that grounded the entire fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft. This came following two separate incidents involving the airplane. The first one occurred at Logan International Airport in Boston, when a fire started in the battery compartment of a parked Japan Airlines 787. The fire started in an area of the plane where the aircrafts lithium-ion batteries were located, leading to speculation that that was the main suspect in the fire. The second involved a United Airlines 787 that reported a wiring problem in one of its Dreamliner aircraft. The wiring issue happened to be located in the same area as the battery fire on the Japan Airlines plane. The FAA eventually issued a mandate that all the lithium-ion batteries be replaced by newer technology lithium manganate batteries.
Image from www.boeing.com