Pilots reveal safety fears over Boeing’s fleet of Dreamliners
Pilots, however, claim that the safety of passengers and crew is being compromised. “If there was an engine fire on a transatlantic flight and the aircraft had one of the defective fire switches, then we would have to fly with a burning wing for up to three hours before we could safely land,” a pilot with a British airline told the Observer.
In its alert to airlines, Boeing warns that long-term heating can cause the fire switch to stick in the locked position so it can’t be used to release the two fire extinguishers in each engine.
The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive, mandatory instructions to air operators, announcing that the problem is “likely to exist or develop in other products of the same design” and that “the potential exists for an airline fire to be uncontrollable”. However, it stopped short of grounding the aircraft and instead ordered airlines to check the switch every 30 days.
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The FAA was criticised for declining to ground Boeing’s fleet of 737 Max aircraft in March after a software malfunction was suspected of causing two fatal crashes. It changed its stance after regulators in other countries banned the aircraft from flying while the accidents were investigated.
https://www.theguardian.com/business...7-safety-fears
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