Boeing 777X Structural Tests suspended after DOOR Blows Off

[Ivan Leon]

Boeing has suspended structural testing of the 777X, after a door reportedly blew off the fuselage.

According to Charlie Harger from KOMO News, the aircraft was undergoing its final stages of structural testing when the malfunction occurred.

Sources told Harger that the door came flying off when Boeing was testing the maximum cabin pressure, whilst the aircraft was positioned in its test rig.

Attending the tests was the Federal Aviation Administration, ready to tick the aircraft off for structural testing, as well as engineers involved in the process.

Sources in contact with Harger state said that the audience immediately fell silent when the component failed.

Although the aircraft was pushed far above operating limits, failing to hold onto a door is not something to lightly just shrug off.

No announcement has been made as to what caused the door to blow off, however an investigation has been opened by Boeing to determine if this was a one off or if there is a design flaw.

Boeing contacted KOMO News stating that all protocols were followed during the testing process and no injuries occurred as a result of the incident.

This incident adds to the pressure surrounding Boeing as they battle to get the 737 MAX flying again, as well as the present 777X program delays due to General Electric GE9X engine issues.

First flight was scheduled to occur this year however, due to the resource shift and delays, this has been pushed to early next year.

Boeing is targeting an aggressive flight test schedule to ensure that the aircraft is certified and ready to be delivered by their goal of fourth quarter 2020.

Most airlines remain sceptical, with Lufthansa preparing for a delayed entry into service and Emirates expressing great concern over delivery times and engine issues.

At this time, Boeing’s priorities are getting the 737 MAX safely back into service and progressing with the 777X program at an acceptable rate.

Any additional setbacks would be seen as financially damaging for Boeing and the airlines involved.

Boeing 777X Structural Tests Suspended After Door Blows Off - SamChui.com

Boeing has suspended 777X structural testing after a cabin door reportedly blew off, prompting an immediate investigation.

samchui.com

 

[Ivan Leon]

 

[reactor_sa]

Boeing seems to have fallen far from the days of the old 747. Airbus must be very happy these days.

 

[gregmcc]

ready to tick the aircraft off for structural testing

Jeez, imagine if this thing passed and the door came off once in service!

 

[Ivan Leon]

Jeez, imagine if this thing passed and the door came off once in service!

There would be 'MAX' catastrophic decompression and structural failure, as was the case with the Douglas DC-10's cargo door locking mechanism in the 1972 American Airlines Flight 96 and the 1974 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 incidents, which had a significant impact on their sales & customer safety perception after these 2 events, even though was later rectified & upgraded with a modified & safer design.

 

[The_Librarian]

Is Boeing being run by beancounters instead of engineers these days?

 

[Bryn]

Is Boeing being run by beancounters instead of engineers these days?

It is actually. They outsource critical software and engineering to developer sweatshops now to save money. They let heaps of engineers go a few years ago.

 

[Ivan Leon]

Door blows out during ground test on Boeing 777X jet - The Seattle Times

Boeing’s new wide-body jet, the 777X, suffered a setback Thursday afternoon during a high-pressure stress test on the ground when one of the airplane’s cargo doors exploded outward.

One 777X employee working in a nearby bay at Boeing’s Everett plant said he heard “a loud boom and the ground shook.”

The accident happened to what’s called the “static test airplane,” one of the two airplanes in any new jet program that are built for ground testing only and will never fly.

It was during the final test that must be passed as part of the airplane’s certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The failure of the door will require careful analysis to find out why it happened, and it may mean Boeing will have to replace the door and repeat the test.

The 777X program is already delayed due to a problem with development of the GE-9X engine that will power it. In July,

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg revealed on a quarterly earnings call that the first 777X intended to fly, which rolled out of the Everett factory in March, will not make it into the air until next year.

This ground test failure is another blow.

Read the full article at the link below (partial paywall - limited views per month) - use Chrome's incognito mode to bypass this restriction:

Door blows out during ground test on Boeing 777X jet

Boeing's new widebody jet, the 777X, suffered a setback Thursday afternoon during a high-pressure stress test on the ground when one of the airplane's doors exploded outward.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[Segg]

Considering the doors are a "plug" type - they can't be strong at all if they blew out Unless the bean counters haven't learned the lessons of the DC-10, in which case I'll be shocked

 

[Ivan Leon]

Considering the doors are a "plug" type - they can't be strong at all if they blew out Unless the bean counters haven't learned the lessons of the DC-10, in which case I'll be shocked

Apparently it was one of the 777X's cargo doors which blew out that, unlike the passenger cabin's 'plug' type doors, opens outwards - just like the ones on the American & Turkish Airlines DC-10's did rather explosively as well - and those on the early 747-100's as well - as happened in the United Airlines Flight 811 incident on 24 February 1989.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

what next? the nose-wheel falling off when performing turns?

I mean something like this should NEVER happen, issues like this should be ironed out long before structural tests.

I mean have Boeing not learned the lessons from the BAC Comet and Douglas DC10?

 

[Segg]

Apparently it was one of the 777X's cargo doors which blew out that, unlike the passenger cabin's 'plug' type doors, opens outwards - just like the ones on the American & Turkish Airlines DC-10's did rather explosively as well - and those on the early 747-100's as well - as happened in the United Airlines Flight 811 incident on 24 February 1989.

They're clearly not learning lessons of the past then

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Jeez, imagine if this thing passed and the door came off once in service!

what scares me more, is something like this making it into production.

Boeing has a big image problem these days,
and they need to work extra hard for every customer they get,

so they should make dammed sure problems like this DONT happen.
otherwise, they will go the way of Convair, and Mcdonnal Douglas and other big American plane makers of the 60's.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

View attachment 709863

no amount of duct tape will hold a door on a Jet,
you can get an entire pallet of Duct tape and it still wont help you seal the doors,

 

[Segg]

FYI, here's the ACI episode of United 811

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=117955825475641

and the DC-10's

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=137749270162963

and a VERY good video about the DC-10 and how it damaged MD's reputation

Even before the plane entered service, the company witnessed the door blow out during it own ground testing 06:45

 

[pedruid]

That video was so bloody frightening. Thank goodness that man had the means to see it through. Like fighting corruption in South Africa.

 

[The_Librarian]

Engineer : The door blew off.
Beacounter : So what? Test it at a lower pressure,and instruct the pilots to fly at a lower altitude.

[later]
Engineer : Here's what is needed to fix the door properly, so it will not blow off anymore.
Beancounter : Nah, too expensive. Use less materials. Or use cheaper materials, these'll work just as well.

 

[Ivan Leon]

Boeing 777X’s fuselage split dramatically during September stress test - The Seattle Times

Boeing got an unexpected jolt in September when engineers in Everett put the new 777X airframe through an extreme test of its structural strength.

Just as the test approached its target stress level, an explosive depressurisation tore through the fuselage.

Boeing has kept the details secret, but photos obtained by the Seattle Times show that the extent of the damage was greater than previously disclosed and earlier reports were wrong about crucial details.

The test plane is a complete write-off, its fuselage skin ripped wide open just behind the wing.

A passenger door that blew out and fell to the factory floor was a secondary impact of the initial rupture, which was located far below the door.

The relatively good news for Boeing is that because the test failed so explosively at just 1% shy of meeting federal requirements, it will almost certainly not have to do a retest.

Regulators will likely allow it to prove by analysis that it’s enough to reinforce the fuselage in the localised area where it failed.

Asked for comment, Boeing said in a statement Tuesday that while it has not yet completed a detailed analysis of the incident, “what we’ve seen to date reinforces our prior assessment that this will not have a significant impact on the design or our preparations for first flight.”

Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman said the test result won’t add to the program delays already caused by problems in development of the jet’s GE9X engine.

He said the 777X should still fly for the first time in early 2020 and the first will be delivered to an airline in 2021.

Read the full article at the link below (site may be pay-walled):

Boeing 777X’s fuselage split dramatically during September stress test

When Boeing's new 777X suffered a ground test failure in early September, the damage was much more alarming than previously reported. It wasn't a cargo door blowout. It was worse.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[Segg]

Boeing 777X’s fuselage split dramatically during September stress test - The Seattle Times

View attachment 748027


Read the full article at the link below (site may be pay-walled):

Boeing 777X’s fuselage split dramatically during September stress test

When Boeing's new 777X suffered a ground test failure in early September, the damage was much more alarming than previously reported. It wasn't a cargo door blowout. It was worse.

www.seattletimes.com

Yirr I can understand continuing with the rest of the tests, but I hope that they repeat this test with an early production model just to be sure

If the 777X and 737M both get released with design flaws and cause accidents the credibility of the FAA goes down with it, and Boeing will be in for a world of hurt

 

[The_Librarian]

Yarrt. Time to avoid Boeing totally?