Boeing had to stop running load tests on its new 777X aircraft following reports of a faulty cargo door, officials said.
“During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test,” Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman explained in a statement Saturday.
A report in The Seattle Times on Friday had outlined an issue with one of the plane’s cargo doors — which reportedly exploded outward during a recent certification test for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The 777X program had already been delayed to to a problem with its GE-9X engine and wasn’t expected to be rolled out into sometime next year. Experts expect the latest development to push things back even further. However, Boeing insists that “overall testing is continuing.”
“The testing conditions were well beyond any load expected in commercial service,” Bergman said of the failed certification test, which was run on a “static test” plane intended for ground testing only and no actual flights. “The event is under review and the team is working to understand root cause.”
The 777X was introduced back in March as the longest passenger jet in existence. The record-breaking plane — which measures 252 feet from nose to tail — was supposed to be a major PR boost for Boeing following the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash and grounding of its 737 Max 8 aircraft.
With Post wires