SEATTLE — Boeing is grounding a new aircraft currently in development after a problem was found with a part unique to the 777-9 model, according to the aerospace company.
The issue, a spokesperson said, is in the design of a part that connects the engine to the wing; there are two of these parts per engine with two engines per 777-9 aircraft. Until this issue is worked out, Boeing said the plane will not be flying.
The Boeing 777-9 took its first flight in January 2020. Four and a half years later, the aircraft billed as the world's largest and most efficient twin-engine jet is grounded.
However, the experimental aircraft has never flown passengers nor flown for any airline as it is still in development.
“It is a big deal, because it’s one of many failures recently. They’ve had a long list of design and manufacturing failures, and they just keep coming one after another,” said former Boeing employee-turned-whistleblower Joe Jacobsen.
Boeing said it identified a “component that did not perform as designed” and that it has reported the issue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Yes, it should have been caught very early on. This sounds like a major design error,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen spent a decade at Boeing before moving to the FAA where he spent more than 20 years. He said this problem is part of a larger issue – one that’s resulted in high-profile incidents for the aircraft manufacturer in recent years.
“This is a couple of decades of not investing in the company - giving the money to investors and executives and not reinvesting in the company,” Jacobsen said.
Boeing is currently under investigation after, in January, a door plug blew out midflight over Oregon. The failure called into question the company's production process – accused of prioritizing profit over safety.
"We are seeing a new normal, this is what Boeing should be doing. Stopping the line occasionally because not everything is going to go 100% right, listening to their people with an astute ear and never, ever trying to gloss something over," said aviation expert John Nance.
To date, just four 777-9 aircraft are cleared for test flights while 481 orders have been placed. The plane remains several years behind schedule.