According to Yahoo news report by Tim Kelly; Writing by Tim Hepher; Editing by David Holmes, dated, November 7th, 2011, TOKYO (Reuters) - Boeing (NYSE:BA - News) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) (Tokyo:9202.T - News) are investigating a landing gear problem on the 787 Dreamliner, the first technical glitch reported since the new jetliner entered service less than two weeks ago, the airline said Monday.
Pilots on the first of two aircraft delivered so far to ANA were forced to deploy the landing gear using a manual backup system, after an indicator lamp suggested the wheels were not properly down.
They landed at Okayama at the second attempt following the incident which happened Sunday, the airline said.
"We are not yet sure what the problem was, but we are investigating," an airline spokesman said, adding that Boeing is also involved in the investigation.
Kyodo news agency linked the problem to a hydraulic valve.
A Boeing spokesman in Europe said: "We are aware of this matter and are on site in Japan with ANA offering whatever assistance they require."
The 787 Dreamliner is a revolutionary lightweight aircraft built mainly of carbon composites designed to save fuel.
It was delivered in September after three years of production delays and made an inaugural flight on October 26 from Tokyo to Hong Kong followed by regular services from November 1.
ANA has said it will fly the aircraft domestically on a trial basis before putting it on long international routes.
The incident comes days after a Boeing 767 landed on its belly in Warsaw after the landing gear failed to deploy.
The wheels-up landing was hailed as a miraculous escape for 230 people on board, but aviation experts say such incidents are relatively rare.
There are have been 10 accidents involving stuck landing wheels since 2000, none of them fatal, according to a database run by the Flight Safety Foundation (www.aviation-safety.net).
The landing gear for the 787 Dreamliner is made by Messier-Dowty. Parent Safran (Paris:SAF.PA - News)
![](11_7a.jpg)
Boeing assigned its global subcontractors to do more assembly themselves and deliver completed subassemblies to Boeing for final assembly. This approach was intended to result in a leaner and simpler assembly line and lower inventory with pre-installed systems reducing final assembly time by three-quarters to three days. Among the many global subcontractors, Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing gear is built by(Messier-Dowty, UK/France) .
Some of those main global subcontracted assemblies included wing manufacture (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, central wing box) horizontal stabilizers (Alenia Aeronautica, Italy; Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea); fuselage sections (Global Aeronautica, Italy; Boeing, North Charleston, USA; Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan; Spirit AeroSystems, Wichita, USA; Korean Air, South Korea);passenger doors (Latécoère, France); cargo doors, access doors, and crew escape door (Saab, Sweden); floor beams (TAL Manufacturing Solutions Limited, India);wiring (Labinal, France); wing-tips, flap support fairings, wheel well bulkhead, and longerons (Korean Air, South Korea);landing gear (Messier-Dowty, UK/France); and power distribution and management systems, air conditioning packs (Hamilton Sundstrand, Connecticut, USA).Boeing is considering bringing construction of the 787-9 tail in house; the tail of the 787-8 is currently made by Alenia.
Two Boeing 787 Dreamliner has delivered to All Nipon Airways. The first model was delivered in late September 2011. It entered commercial service on October 26, 2011.
The 787 consumes 20% less fuel than the similarly-sized Boeing 767. Boeing 787 Dreamliner is 20 percent more of the fuel-efficient which comes from forty percent of the efficiency gain from the engines, plus gains from aerodynamic improvements,the increased use of lighter-weight composite materials, and advanced systems.
The 787 development and production has involved a large-scale collaboration with numerous suppliers around the globe. Final assembly is at the Boeing Everett Factory in Everett, Washington. Aircraft will also be assembled at a new factory in North Charleston, South Carolina. Both sites will deliver 787s to airline customers.
![](Boeing787Dreamliner/sandraFrame77.JPG)
|
Sources:Boeing, Youtube and yahoo, wikipedia
catch4all.com,
Sandra Englund, November 7, 2011
Related Link
|
|