Embattled aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been forced to ground airliner fleets after an engine defect was discovered in its new 777X series crafts and its 787 nose-dived mid-flight in March, killing 50 people. Boeing has grounded 777-9 planes in its new 777X fleet due to an engine-related failure found after a 5.5 hr test flight from Kona Airport in Hawaii. The same issue with the titanium “thrust link” was discovered in two other 7XX-9 active test airliners after subsequent inspections, Air Current reported. The 777X fleet has a new GE9X engine made by General Electric (GE), which since 2014 has been Boeing’s sole source for engines. The fleet was expected to be launched this year, but the newly discovered engine defect could set it back to 2026. Boeing’s 777X planes were first tested in 2020, but the corporation has been long awaiting certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), per the Seattle Times. Finally this summer the FAA approved the 777X to undergo tests flights required before being approved to carry passengers. Boeing on Tuesday confirmed it halted all test flights for its 777X fleet after discovering the fault in the engine frame on the August 16 flight, noting the problem appears to be specific to the 426-seat 777-9 aircrafts, one of two 777X models. The other is the slightly smaller 384-seat 777-8. “During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed,” Boeing told the Daily Mail. “Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready. We are keeping the FAA fully informed on the issue and have shared information with our customers.”The new GE-9X engines, which weigh 11 tons and have an 11-foot fan, use 10% less fuel and emissions and 10% lower operating costs, according to Boeing’s website. In its effort to cut emissions, Boeing and GE focused on specific models that would be more fuel efficient.The 777X is “the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet” with “new breakthroughs in aerodynamics and engines,” the manufacturer’s website reads. Boeing promises the new fleet “offers low-risk, profitable growth” and “industry-leading reliability.”Meanwhile, Boeing is subject to FAA inspections after one of its 787 Dreamliners plummeted nose-first to the ground during the deadly flight in March, the administration confirmed Monday, per the Globe and Mail. The dive was triggered by an uncommanded movement in the captain’s seat, which causes the aircraft’s autopilot to disconnect, the FAA said, acknowledging it had received a whopping five reports of the same issue in the captain and first officer seats on 787 planes — most recently in June. Investigations into two of the five instances are ongoing.
