Ethiopean 787 fire at Heathrow
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 292
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From: UK
Due diligence would surely require that the whole area of the repair is instrumented with strain gauges to check for load, stress and vibration over a range of flight configurations, speeds, altitudes,.....and then analysed in the lab with design engineering scrutiny leading to certification. Could be flown back stateside under a special cat CofA, tho'.
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 261
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From: Paso Robles
I really hope "bolted" can mean something like "carefully glued together" or I will really question the validity of that source...
Has the cabin interior been fixed?
Last edited by porterhouse; 21st December 2013 at 20:49.
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: Australia
Its back in operation, been flying since the 23rd.
It ferried to Frankfurt and did ET707. Been flying pretty much every day since.
So i would consider Boeing's repair as the permanent repair.
Pretty impressive
It ferried to Frankfurt and did ET707. Been flying pretty much every day since.
So i would consider Boeing's repair as the permanent repair.
Pretty impressive
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
From: UK
It appears that it's back in service Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: Australia
Have a look in !!!!!!!!!!!!!! photo Id 2362630, it's taken after the tail was put back on. Looks like a nice flush repair. No obvious bumps from this distance. I have seen another photo with all the scaffolding taken away, but not as high res but the repair is all but invisible.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: UK
Page 59, whew! So much content!
Some weeks ago following the fin removal, I visited the aircraft and iscussed the repair with the on-site Boeing project manager. Though he was officially unable to disclose any details about the repair, he did not deny that the repair would take the form of a splice repair, and that it would be full, permanent repair, with the aircraft re-entering commercial service upon completion.
Though the fin was removed to improve aircraft stability, I have never seen such a heavily trestled aircraft in my whole career. When Boeing carry out an AOG repair it is nothing but impressive; a tented facility/factory manned by 60 Engineers & Composite Specialists, with the aircraft shrouded in an environmentally controlled enclosure. Good stuff!
Though details were not forthcoming, I got the impression that the damaged area would be removed, and replaced with an identical piece cut from an existing (or purposely made) aft fuselage section and spliced together. Note: Being a 'plastic' aircraft does mean it is necessarily 'glued together', and as such does not exclude the use of near conventional fasteners.
With regard to the LHR-LHR test flight on the 23rd, this is nothing unusual, especially given the circumstances and depth of work carried out.
Commenting on the earlier 'metal vs plastic' arguements; had this been a metal aircraft it would have been repaired months ago, using conventional methods.
It might also be worth dwelling on the fact that to achieve certification from the regulatory authorities prior to EIS, Boeing would have been required have in place a working Structural Repair Manaul (or equivalent) and been able demonstrate a AOG Repair Scheme support program.
Good to see it flying again, and the speculation put to bed!
Some weeks ago following the fin removal, I visited the aircraft and iscussed the repair with the on-site Boeing project manager. Though he was officially unable to disclose any details about the repair, he did not deny that the repair would take the form of a splice repair, and that it would be full, permanent repair, with the aircraft re-entering commercial service upon completion.
Though the fin was removed to improve aircraft stability, I have never seen such a heavily trestled aircraft in my whole career. When Boeing carry out an AOG repair it is nothing but impressive; a tented facility/factory manned by 60 Engineers & Composite Specialists, with the aircraft shrouded in an environmentally controlled enclosure. Good stuff!
Though details were not forthcoming, I got the impression that the damaged area would be removed, and replaced with an identical piece cut from an existing (or purposely made) aft fuselage section and spliced together. Note: Being a 'plastic' aircraft does mean it is necessarily 'glued together', and as such does not exclude the use of near conventional fasteners.
With regard to the LHR-LHR test flight on the 23rd, this is nothing unusual, especially given the circumstances and depth of work carried out.
Commenting on the earlier 'metal vs plastic' arguements; had this been a metal aircraft it would have been repaired months ago, using conventional methods.
It might also be worth dwelling on the fact that to achieve certification from the regulatory authorities prior to EIS, Boeing would have been required have in place a working Structural Repair Manaul (or equivalent) and been able demonstrate a AOG Repair Scheme support program.
Good to see it flying again, and the speculation put to bed!
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 14
Likes: 1
From: 10th floor
AAIB posted a Special bulletin
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...4%20ET-AOP.pdf
It's quite damning to Honeywell - 6 months before they identified an issue in manufacturing the ELTs and changed the process, but haven't recalled the existing ones. As a result there were 28 ELTs (out of 3600) with crossed wires ready to start a fire in an inaccessible area in an airplane
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...4%20ET-AOP.pdf
It's quite damning to Honeywell - 6 months before they identified an issue in manufacturing the ELTs and changed the process, but haven't recalled the existing ones. As a result there were 28 ELTs (out of 3600) with crossed wires ready to start a fire in an inaccessible area in an airplane
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: United States
AAIB final report published August 19th 2015
For all those interested, the AAIB published the final report regarding this incident on August 19th and it can be downloaded from aaib.gov.uk or you can PM me and I will forward it to you. It is 182 pages and is, I note, replete with detailed photographs of both the interior and exterior extensive structural damage and it had approximately 11 square yards of major fuselage crown damage and now the FAA , as a result of this AAIB report, is finally "reviewing their certification procedures and flammability testing for composite aircraft flammability" with obvious potential huge implications for both Boeing and Airbus.
