FAA Orders Inspections of Boeing 787 Dreamliners Over Fatigue Cracks
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered inspections of some Boeing 787 Dreamliners due to potential fatigue cracks linked to manufacturing discrepancies in a structurally important area of the aircraft.
The issue involves lower side-of-body splice plates associated with the lower outboard wing skins, where gaps requiring shims between structural components may have exceeded engineering tolerances.
Boeing found that high forces applied while pulling the components together during assembly could create conditions for fatigue cracks to develop around fastener holes. The issue was not newly discovered and Boeing issued an Alert Requirements Bulletin addressing the affected structure in August 2025, with the FAA proposing mandatory inspections in March 2026.
The directive requires different inspections depending on the configuration of each affected aircraft, including repeated ultrasonic inspections of splice plates and other components in the wing structure, as well as detailed visual inspections and repairs if cracks are detected.