Global Fastener News

Misused Fasteners Causes Further 787 Delays for Boeing

Jason Sandefur

Fasteners are causing further delays on Boeing’s Dreamliner.

“A major mishap inside a Charleston, S.C., assembly plant last week structurally damaged the upper half, or crown section, of Dreamliner No. 4’s center fuselage,” the Seattle Times reports.

A mechanic reportedly damaged the structure while attaching fasteners to the crown of the center fuselage. “Incorrect fasteners were improperly installed in the wrong holes causing damage to the composite structure during the join process,” according to the Times.

Each fastener splintered out the hole, causing the carbon-fiber threads in the composite structure to break out from the plastic resin.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter said the botched job doesn’t indicate a significant production problem. “This is someone who did not follow specific instructions on work that needed to be done.”

The incident happened at the Global Aeronautica plant in Charleston, where big center fuselage pieces from Italy and Japan come together.

Gunter said the repair was “fairly straightforward.” It’s unclear how the incident will affect Boeing’s test flight schedule.

A tight aerospace fastener market has already forced two delays on the 787 Dreamliner. The second schedule modification came weeks after Boeing announced an initial six-month delay and promptly replaced the head of its 787 program, which has been hampered by a critical shortage of aerospace fasteners and other supply problems.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney has blamed Alcoa Fastening Systems and other fastener suppliers for ongoing shortages that have delayed the test flight of the 787.

However, earlier reports suggest that 787 fastener specs were as much as 8 months late, forcing AFS and other suppliers to work non-stop to complete design work and manufacture the 9 different fastener types for the Dreamliner. Web: boeing.com �2008 FastenerNews.com