FAA Proposes Inspections on Boeing 787s Over Non-Conforming Titanium in Emergency System
A directive would affect nine Dreamliner aircraft after an incorrect alloy was detected in the Ram Air Turbine (RAT).
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a new airworthiness directive requiring the inspection of a critical component on a limited number of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The action follows the discovery that the casings of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) on nine 787-9 and 787-10 models were manufactured with an improper titanium alloy.
The alert, detailed in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on July 28, originated from supplier notifications that warned about the use of a non-conforming material. According to the document, analyses revealed that the components were made with a grade 1 or 2 titanium alloy. This commercially pure material has significantly lower strength, fatigue, and damage tolerance properties compared to the grade 5 titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) required by the original design.
The FAA warns that the casings produced with the incorrect titanium “could fail when the RAT is deployed.” Such a failure would not only deprive the aircraft of a crucial backup power source but could also lead to the turbine detaching from the fuselage during flight.
What is the RAT and Why is it So Important?
Function: The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is a small propeller that automatically deploys from the aircraft's fuselage in the unlikely event of a total loss of main engines and auxiliary power.
Operation: Upon deployment, the high-speed airflow spins the turbine, generating emergency electrical and hydraulic power.
Importance: This power is vital for pilots to maintain control of essential flight surfaces (ailerons, rudder, elevators) and operate critical instruments for a safe landing. It is the aircraft's last line of energy defense.
This incident occurs within a context of global supply chain challenges. Last year, industry reports already indicated that titanium with falsified documentation, allegedly originating from China, had entered the production chain of Spirit AeroSystems. This company is a key supplier that manufactures aerostructures, such as fuselages, for giants like Boeing and Airbus.
Although the FAA does not name the specific supplier in this case nor directly link it to previous incidents, the problem highlights the vulnerability of the aerospace supply chain. The industry was forced to diversify its titanium sources after Western sanctions limited access to Russia, historically one of the world's largest suppliers of this metal for aerospace use.
The affected Boeing 787 aircraft are assembled at the company's facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. This new alert adds to a series of production and quality challenges Boeing is facing, keeping the company and its suppliers under intense scrutiny from regulators and airlines worldwide.
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