Dreamliner windscreens are cracking
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Dreamliner windscreens are cracking
Windshield of Air India Dreamliner cracks - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: In another Dreamliner scare, the windshield of an Air India Boeing 787 cracked on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi on Saturday. This is the second time in just over a month that such an incident has been reported.
In the latest incident, the aircraft (VT-ANJ) also had a badly damaged landing gear door. The damage was discovered when the aircraft was being prepared for a flight to Frankfurt.
AI sources say the windshield cracked while landing in Delhi and there was no risk to the aircraft. "The landing gear door was damaged by a foreign object. We are investigating what caused the windshield to crack. We will contact Boeing regarding this," said a senior official. The DGCA has ordered a probe into Saturday's incident.
"Windshield cracks usually happen in planes which are four or five years old, if something hits it. The fact that windshields of new Dreamliners are developing cracks without being hit is worrying. There is water ingress in these windshields due to which the electrical system inside it short-circuits. AI and DGCA should take this up with Boeing," said a source.
NEW DELHI: In another Dreamliner scare, the windshield of an Air India Boeing 787 cracked on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi on Saturday. This is the second time in just over a month that such an incident has been reported.
In the latest incident, the aircraft (VT-ANJ) also had a badly damaged landing gear door. The damage was discovered when the aircraft was being prepared for a flight to Frankfurt.
AI sources say the windshield cracked while landing in Delhi and there was no risk to the aircraft. "The landing gear door was damaged by a foreign object. We are investigating what caused the windshield to crack. We will contact Boeing regarding this," said a senior official. The DGCA has ordered a probe into Saturday's incident.
"Windshield cracks usually happen in planes which are four or five years old, if something hits it. The fact that windshields of new Dreamliners are developing cracks without being hit is worrying. There is water ingress in these windshields due to which the electrical system inside it short-circuits. AI and DGCA should take this up with Boeing," said a source.
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"Windshield cracks usually happen in planes which are four or five years old, if something hits it.
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DREAMliner is turning into a nightmare. As a pilot id think twice about flying over an open ocean at 35,000 feet. And as a passenger I would feel even more nervous.
I know of three cracked windshields on A320's in the past few years. All from personal experience, if it has happened to me then surely others... We had better launch an investigation into Airbus windshields aswell!!
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I think this is the 3rd to a B787, still few enough to be down to random occurrence or perhaps bad luck; of course, a cracked windshield suddenly becomes newsworthy when the plane concerned is "known" to the media!
However, I believe aluminium hulls are more flexible and could this perhaps mean that they help to cushion windshields from impacts and stresses better than a more rigid composite hull?
However, I believe aluminium hulls are more flexible and could this perhaps mean that they help to cushion windshields from impacts and stresses better than a more rigid composite hull?
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DREAMliner is turning into a nightmare.
Too bad all those thousands of people who board a Dreamliner every day have no clue about your nightmares.
As a pilot id think twice about flying over an open ocean at 35,000 feet
Last edited by porterhouse; 15th Dec 2013 at 18:26.
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They may be forgetting to turn it on before T/O. Then in cruise after it is cold soaked and gets frost then they realize it is not on and flip the switch and yes it will crack then.
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Over 130 technical problems in Air India's Dreamliner fleet since induction
Over 130 technical problems in Air India's Dreamliner fleet since induction
Over 130 technical problems in Air India's Dreamliner fleet since induction - The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: Air India's Dreamliner fleet suffered 136 "minor" technical problems between September last year and last month, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
All these problems were fixed by the airline's and Boeing's technical teams, Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said in reply to a question.
Over 130 technical problems in Air India's Dreamliner fleet since induction - The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: Air India's Dreamliner fleet suffered 136 "minor" technical problems between September last year and last month, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
All these problems were fixed by the airline's and Boeing's technical teams, Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said in reply to a question.
On the 787 window heat is turned on during the first officers overhead panel scan and remains selected on for the entire flight. However, during certain normal and non-normal operations the power is shed to them as the electrical load is to high. Now if power to them was cycled at high altitude then maybe re-applying the heat to a cold soaked windscreen might be a problem but I suspect that the manufacturer probably looked at that scenario.
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If its like any of the other Boeing logic - the only time heat would be removed from the window is if its in the ON position and its warming up too much - ie sitting on the ramp in a warm climate getting direxct sunlight on it.
It then removes power to the window but the window heat is technically still on
Once airborne both altitude and airflow cool the window and it would return to heating the window again.
It has less to do with the voltage applied as it has to do with the heat of the window.
I suspect this is not a Operational procedures fail but perhaps a batch of poorly created windscreens.
Even if the Window heat was left off on the ground and only noticed at altitude - then turned on it would not immeadiatley shatter the windows - the heat slowly warms the window in a gradual process and is no different than turning it on, on the ground during a cold winter day in the northern latitudes.
WJP
It then removes power to the window but the window heat is technically still on
Once airborne both altitude and airflow cool the window and it would return to heating the window again.
It has less to do with the voltage applied as it has to do with the heat of the window.
I suspect this is not a Operational procedures fail but perhaps a batch of poorly created windscreens.
Even if the Window heat was left off on the ground and only noticed at altitude - then turned on it would not immeadiatley shatter the windows - the heat slowly warms the window in a gradual process and is no different than turning it on, on the ground during a cold winter day in the northern latitudes.
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Or these particular windows were not being installed properly. An incorrect torque applied to the bolts can also have an adverse effect on the window when in normal ops during 'closed' or 'open' ocean crossings.
