The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an airworthiness directive on Tuesday instructing airlines to disconnect the Gust Suppression function on all US registered Boeing 777 aircraft models within three months, or before the aircraft has registered 75,000 flight hours over safety concerns.
A temporary solution
The Gust Suppression function is a non-essential B-777 feature that provides a minor improvement to ride quality during lateral wind gusts at low airspeeds, according to the directive.
While the issue does not have a direct impact on any essential systems, it could lead to serious safety risks when it is defective. Under certain conditions, and when paired with corrosion the system failure can cause too much electrical resistance in the gust suppression sensor.
Under the directive covering 279 US-registered B-777 aircraft, operators are required to disconnect the system connectors, cap them and secure the wires, as a temporary solution until Boeing develops a permanent modification that addresses the “unsafe condition,” according to the FAA.
Second directive
The recent directive is the second in less than two weeks after the FAA voiced concerns about potential electric discharges in the aircraft type’s fuel tanks in case of a lightning strike or electrical short-circuit. The directive issued last week mandates operators to install mitigation materials, and perform detailed inspections and corrective actions, allowing them five years to comply with the new requirements.
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A changed relationship
The latest directives and ongoing aircraft certification hurdles affecting Boeing’s 737, 787 and 777X aircraft models are patent indicators of a largely changed relationship between the two industry giants.
In late July, Boeing received a preliminary regulatory clearance to resume deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft, after years of back-and-forth negotiations and safety inspections from the FAA.
Furthermore, Boeing’s latest long-range, wide-body, twin-engine commercial aircraft, B777X is also facing certification delays after the programme was held back in May 2021, due to a “lack of data and the lack of a preliminary safety assessment,” according to the FAA.
