The news agencies reported on Tuesday, Boeing may not have received certification for his latest aircraft in the United States — the 777x series. The US aviation regulator (FAA) has pushed the timely certification date back to “mid-2023” and has noted that two more years are needed for further testing and safety checks. The Federal Aviation Administration has decided to use it. In the last few years after the long crash of its infamous 737 MAX rating two fatal crashes, the American aircraft manufacturer faced severe criticism.
According to news reports on Tuesday, Boeing’s newest wide-body planes, the 777x series, may not receive certification in the United States just yet. The US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has pushed back the tentative certification date to “mid to late 2023,” citing the need for two more years of testing and safety checks. Following two fatal crashes, the American aeroplane manufacturer has come under fire in recent years for the prolonged grounding of its infamous 737 MAX series.
The FAA has sent a letter to Boeing informing the aviation giant that the 777x jet requires a “root cause” investigation following an “uncommanded pitch” event on December 8, in which the airplane performed unexpectedly, news agency AFP reported. Ian Won, an acting manager in the FAA’s aircraft certification service, said that Boeing is expected to undergo comprehensive validation, verification reviews and must also document the process improvements and the lessons learned. All of these measures will “realistically” push the expected timeframe of certification at least by two more years, he said.
The popular 737 Next Generation (NG) aeroplanes and Boeing’s newest 777x series will both be reevaluated, with the latter models having already finalised a set of three safety enhancements to prevent debris from escaping in the event of a failure.
Several recent incidents have occurred in which debris has broken free from the engine inlets. On April 17, 2018, a piece of metal flew off a Southwest Airlines Co. engine over Pennsylvania, killing a woman who was seated where the metal collided with a window. Following this incident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that engine designs be improved in order to strengthen the smooth curved surface at the front of the vehicle.
