What went wrong with the 787?

There were fuel and oil leaks, a cracked cockpit window and a computer glitch that erroneously indicated a brake problem. Then a 787 flown by Japan's All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing after pilots learned of battery problems and detected a burning smell.



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Deliveries of the Boeing 787 were stopped by the FAA in May 2021 after production flaws surfaced and concerns over Boeing's inspection methods. The FAA then declared in February 2022 that it would not allow Boeing to self-certify the completion of each 787 aircraft.

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The problem involves a fitting for the 787's horizontal stabilizer installed by a Boeing production facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, the company said. The horizontal stabilizer, located at the base of an aircraft's tail, allows a plane to maintain longitudinal balance while flying.

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The longer the 787s remained on the ground, the more it would cost to get them to fly again, due to the maintenance work required. As a result, they were no longer airworthy.

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While the 787 Dreamliners have not been grounded, the FAA had ordered a halt to deliveries of the widebody jet between May of 2021 and July of 2022 as it looked into questions about quality control during its assembly process.

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The typical lifespan of airliners The composite-driven Boeing 787 Dreamliner is designed for 44,000 flight cycles. These jets can theoretically last several decades with an average of two flight cycles a day.

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What was the 787 meant to replace? At launch, Boeing targeted the 787 with 20% less fuel burn than replaced aircraft like the Boeing 767, carrying 200 to 300 passengers on point-to-point routes up to 8,500 nautical miles [nmi] (15,700 km; 9,800 mi), a shift from hub-and-spoke travel.

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Boeing's regional director Product Marketing Tarun Hazari told Airlineratings.com that the 787's reliability is a “fantastic story” achieving a rate 99.4 percent, just behind the 777-300ERs 99.46 percent. “Given the higher utilization of the 787 that is an unprecedented number, said Hazari.

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Boeing's Sanderson isn't defending the delays, but stresses that “All 787s in service and in our inventory are perfectly safe to fly.” The planemaker sees a silver lining with learnings applied to build even better 787s and new aircraft like the next-generation 777-9.

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On January 17th, 2013, the FAA ordered the entire 787 fleet across all airlines to be grounded, and the NTSB launched an investigation. The culprit was eventually identified as a lithium-ion battery. A cell within the battery was believed to have short-circuited, causing what is known as a thermal runaway.

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The Bottom Line: The Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 are very similar aircraft, suited for similar missions. As one would expect, the slightly larger A350-900 has a seat-mile cost advantage, while the 787-9 has an advantage in cost per block hour. These aircraft are competitive, and nearly tie in economic performance.

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The wings of the Boeing 787 are so flexible because its carbon fiber material can be stretched more, and the high aspect ratio of 11 will magnify this effect. In flight, all you will feel is less shaking due to gusts, because the wing will dampen load changes more effectively.

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Did you know that the 787 can deploy a propellor underneath its fuselage? It's called a RAT.

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The Dreamliner's lightweight composite structure contributes to reduced noise levels, both inside and outside the aircraft. The use of advanced soundproofing materials and quieter engines keeps the cabin environment more tranquil for passengers.

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This advanced fly-by-wire system also is the key to Smoother Ride Technology – unique to the 787 family -- which senses turbulence and adjusts control surfaces automatically to dampen its effects before it reaches the passengers.

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There's a nondescript door located all the way at the back next to the large coach galley. Some might think this leads to a closet or lavatory. Instead, open the door and you'll find a set of stairs leading up to the crew rest.

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The largest operators at that time were All Nippon Airways (74), United Airlines (64), American Airlines (50), Japan Airlines (47), Etihad Airways (39), Hainan Airlines (38), Air Canada (38), Qatar Airways (37), British Airways (35), Air India (27), Ethiopian Airlines (27), and other airlines operating fewer numbers of ...

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There were 865 Boeing 787 aircraft in airline service as of November 2022, comprising 353 787-8s, 477 787-9s and 35 787-10s.

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