Boeing has been forced to ground its entire 777X test fleet, the latest in a series of blows the troubled manufacturer has suffered over several years.
The 777X is Boeing’s newest, next-generation aircraft and was scheduled to begin commercial service in 2020.
That timeline has been pushed back to 2025 as the discovery — a faulty component connected to the plane’s engine — threatens to further hamper it.
The discovery came over the weekend after two test planes landed in Hawaii, showing damage to a key component that connects the engine to the aircraft’s structure.
Subsequent inspections found the same cracks in the engines of two other active test aircraft. The news service that first reported the details was Air Current, prompting a statement from Boeing on Monday.
Boeing has been forced to ground its entire 777X test fleet, the manufacturer confirmed this week.
“During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed,” reads the statement sent to DailyMail.com.
‘Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learning from the component and will resume flight testing when ready.
‘We are keeping the FAA fully informed on the issue and have shared information with our customers.’
The malfunction comes weeks after the FAA authorized test flights of the long-awaited 777X aircraft.
It features new GE9X engines, new composite wings and increased cabin and seat width compared to its predecessors.
The part in question connects to GE9X motors, which are manufactured by General Electric (GE).
It is made by Boeing and is unique to the 777X, it is made of heavy titanium and is called a “push link.”
This is distinguished from the plane in part by a partnership between the companies that began in 2014, which saw GE become Boeing’s sole engine manufacturer for larger planes like the 777X.
The part in question connects to the GE9X engines, which are manufactured by General Electric (GE). It is manufactured by Boeing and is unique to the 777X. It is made of heavy titanium and is called a “push link” (circled in red).
In an effort to save fuel, companies worked to make boxes more compatible with specific engine models for their planes, in an attempt to build more efficient machines that would benefit both carriers and customers.
But this created less competition among airline customers, a concept that some, like Steven Udvar-Hazy, the CEO of aircraft leasing company Air Lease Corporation, lamented at the time.
He cited how this diminished the bargaining power of airline customers, other than those working with companies like Boeing and Airbus, who would save money under the deals.
Pratt & Whitney CEO Paul Adams noted that as aircraft become more technically sophisticated, “engine and aircraft optimization becomes more relevant,” as the equipment used to mount engines to the wings and the rest of the aircraft are integrated to minimize drag and increase fuel efficiency.
The ‘thrust link’ meets this criteria and is responsible for transferring thrust from the engine to the airframe, via a titanium link mounted on a pylon beneath the wings.
In its statement to DailyMail.com, Boeing reiterated that each of the plane’s two engines has two of those parts, “so there is redundancy.”
A representative further noted that the piece is custom-made for the 777-9, one of two variants of the 777X, larger than the 384-seat 777-8 (426).
The plane, seen here during a test flight in 2020, was due to enter commercial service that year but has been repeatedly delayed.
The GE-9X itself is a massive engine, weighing about 11 tons and featuring a GE-made front-mounted fan that, at 11 feet in diameter, is the largest of its kind.
The 777-9, meanwhile, first flew in 2020, but has yet to be fully certified by the FAA.