Report: Boeing Grounds 777X Test Fleet

Boeing 777X [Courtesy: Boeing]

The Air Current is reporting that Boeing has suspended certification flight testing of its new flagship 777X airliner after it found problems with the engine attachments in all three test aircraft.

The publication said a thrust link that helps secure the engine to its mounting structure was discovered to be broken after a flight from Kona, Hawaii, to Seattle.

Cracks in the thrust links on the other two aircraft were also discovered, prompting the grounding of the fleet.

The Air Current said Boeing confirmed the testing pause, saying it "identified a component that did not perform as designed" and that after replacement the company "will resume flight testing when ready."

After a series of manufacturing and quality control issues, the announcement of certification flight testing of the new 777 variant was viewed as a boon for the troubled company. It's not clear how long it will take to fix.

Thrust links help distribute loads within the mounting structure of the engine.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

777X Boeing engine Flight Testing

Russ NilesAuthor

Russ Niles has been a journalist for 40 years, a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb in 2003. When he’s not writing about airplanes he and his wife Marni run a small winery in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.