Under extreme circumstances, they can catch fire and explode in the air. Nearly 300 Boeing aircraft in the United States were found to have fatal flaws.
According to CCTV News, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 took off from London Heathrow Airport to Singapore on May 20. It encountered severe turbulence on the way, causing many casualties. It finally made an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. This flight was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
On May 22, local time, Boeing confirmed that there were fuel tank safety hazards pointed out by the FAA. According to statistics, a total of 292 Boeing aircraft in the United States had such safety hazards.
Since the beginning of this year, Boeing passenger aircraft safety accidents have occurred frequently. In January, a shocking "door falling" incident occurred on Alaska Airlines. Shortly after takeoff of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane, a door jam on the side of the cabin fell off. In addition, problems such as tires falling off, engine fires, and windshields cracking have occurred in the past few months.
In response, the FAA launched a comprehensive investigation into the safety performance of Boeing aircraft in March this year. During the investigation, the FAA discovered "unacceptable quality control gaps," including safety concerns in the fuel tanks. At that time, the FAA gave Boeing until May 9 this year to conduct a review and complete safety improvements within 60 months.
On May 22, local time, Boeing sent a letter to the media confirming that there is indeed a fuel tank safety hazard pointed out by the FAA. However, Boeing stated that "this problem does not immediately pose a safety risk because modern large commercial aircraft always have sufficient redundant designs." Prevent electromagnetic shock."
Specifically, the problem discovered by the FAA is that the electrical insulation performance near the fuel tanks of Boeing's older 777 models is not strong. Once static electricity is generated during flight or a large impact is received, it is likely to cause arcing in the main fuel tank. Combined with The fuel in the tank can even cause the entire aircraft to catch fire and explode in the air in extreme cases.
According to statistics, a total of 292 Boeing aircraft in the United States have the above safety hazards, covering 777-200, 777-200LR, 777-300, 777-300ER and 777F series jets. Mainstream airlines such as United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have "Suffering deeply from it."
These aircraft models not only include the same models involved in the recent Singapore Airlines passenger plane accident, but also include many older versions of "grandfathers". The FAA pointed out that the Boeing 777 series was not designed to prevent electrostatic interference at all, so they required Boeing to install an electrical grounding device during the modification and use new fasteners to install the cover plate for reinforcement.
Boeing responded on May 22 that it fully accepted the safety guidance given by the FAA. However, Boeing stated that the above-mentioned safety hazards will not lead to an immediate risk of accidents. "The 777 fleet has been in operation for nearly 30 years and has safely transported more than 3.9 billion passengers."