Tue, Jul 13, 2010
Boeing 757, 767, 777 All Affected By AD To Be Issued
Tuesday
The FAA is issuing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) Tuesday
that requires operators of Boeing 757, 767, and 777 airplanes to
either inspect or replace certain flight deck windows. The AD only
affects the forward viewing windows, not the side windows.
Operators have two options: Begin inspections within 500 flight
hours and then continue at intervals that are specific for each of
two window designs, or install a new, redesigned window. The
inspection takes about an hour.
The AD is aimed at preventing smoke, fire or cracking of the inner
layer of the forward viewing window caused by loose electrical
connections that are used to heat the window to prevent ice.
Over the past two decades, there have been 11 reports of fire or
flames on 757 (five events), 767 (three events), and 777 (three
events) airplanes. Improper installation resulted in loose,
improperly torqued or cross threaded screws that can contribute to
overheating and arcing. The most recent incident was a May 16, 2010
emergency landing by a United 757 at Dulles International
Airport.
The FAA proposed the AD in March 2008. The agency received
extensive comments and determined additional 757 service
information was needed from Boeing. That in-depth review identified
unique issues on the upper electrical connections on 757s which
will be addressed in a separate AD so as not to hold up the fix for
the lower electrical connector issue which constitutes the majority
of the service problems identified to date. Although there have
been no fire events on 747s, the FAA plans to propose an AD this
fall since those later model airplane windows are
similar.
This AD affects 1,212 U.S. airplanes out of 2,619 worldwide. The
estimated cost for the inspections is $103,020 total for U.S.
operators. The window replacement is optional and would be an
additional cost.
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