What a sticky situation for Boeing.
It was one other day, one other mile-high issue for the fiasco-plagued airplane designer when a UK passenger grew alarmed after noticing pieces of tape on the outside of a Boeing 787 during a flight to India, as seen in shocking photos.
“I’ve flown all around the globe, but never seen anything like that before,” David Parker, 62, told South West News Service of the incident, which occurred on Feb. 5 while he was traveling from Manchester, UK, to Goa along with his fiancé.
Things were going swimmingly until the actual estate agent noticed a patchwork quilt of silver adhesive on the plane’s wings.
“It began peeling off mid-flight, I believed, ‘What the hell!?’” exclaimed the appalled Brit. “I pointed it out to my missus — she just said, ‘I wish you hadn’t shown me that.’”
Accompanying photos show the strips of tape, which seem like something a boy would use to repair a model airplane.
“I used to be very surprised to see a patchwork of gaffer tape all around the wing halfway through the flight,” declared a stunned Parker.
Nonetheless, Boeing has since assured the general public that the airplane adhesive is “speed tape,” which is perfectly protected to be used on airplanes.
“Speed tape is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved material for some temporary fixes,” an organization spokesperson clarified to SWNS.
They explained that on this case, it was likely used to repair “paint adhesion” issues which were plaguing some 787s.
In line with the spokesperson, the sticky material is used to maintain paint from peeling off — and never to haphazardly hold a rickety aircraft together.
Make amends for Boeing’s ongoing airplane fiasco
Boeing has recently been tormented by safety concerns that began Jan. 5 after a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Oregon to California.
In line with the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane — which was operated by Alaska Airlines — seemed to be missing 4 key bolts.
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, threatened to shun Boeing after the carrier’s fleet of Max 9 aircraft was grounded within the wake of the near-disastrous Alaska Airlines door blowout.
Disaster struck again every week later after a Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan as a result of a crack within the cockpit window.
Recently, a UK passenger grew alarmed after noticing pieces of tape on the outside of a Boeing 787 during a flight to India, as seen in shocking photos. “It began peeling off mid-flight, I believed, ‘What the hell!?’” exclaimed the appalled Brit. “I pointed it out to my missus — she just said, ‘I wish you hadn’t shown me that.’”
A Boeing 757 lost its front tire because the aircraft was preparing to depart for a world flight in late January. On the Atlanta International Airport, a Delta flight certain for Bogota, Colombia, was taxiing across the runway into takeoff position when one other plane alerted the control tower that something was amiss.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary previously said he’s made ‘loud complaints’ to Boeing over quality control.
The representative acknowledged that the fabric might look unsightly, but that it’s only an interim fix before they start applying a recent black topcoat layer to all their planes during production.
“The airplane’s structural integrity stays intact, and this has been determined to not be a security of flight issue,” the rep assured.
Nonetheless, it’s perhaps not surprising that the sight of tape would set off alarm bells.
Boeing has recently been tormented by safety concerns that began Jan. 5 after a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Oregon to California.
In line with the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane — which was operated by Alaska Airlines — seemed to be missing 4 key bolts.
Photo evidence released Tuesday revealed that the bolts were missing from the door plug, which had been removed to repair rivets that were damaged within the production process, per the report.
Disaster struck again every week later after a Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan as a result of a crack within the cockpit window.
What a sticky situation for Boeing.
It was one other day, one other mile-high issue for the fiasco-plagued airplane designer when a UK passenger grew alarmed after noticing pieces of tape on the outside of a Boeing 787 during a flight to India, as seen in shocking photos.
“I’ve flown all around the globe, but never seen anything like that before,” David Parker, 62, told South West News Service of the incident, which occurred on Feb. 5 while he was traveling from Manchester, UK, to Goa along with his fiancé.
Things were going swimmingly until the actual estate agent noticed a patchwork quilt of silver adhesive on the plane’s wings.
“It began peeling off mid-flight, I believed, ‘What the hell!?’” exclaimed the appalled Brit. “I pointed it out to my missus — she just said, ‘I wish you hadn’t shown me that.’”
Accompanying photos show the strips of tape, which seem like something a boy would use to repair a model airplane.
“I used to be very surprised to see a patchwork of gaffer tape all around the wing halfway through the flight,” declared a stunned Parker.
Nonetheless, Boeing has since assured the general public that the airplane adhesive is “speed tape,” which is perfectly protected to be used on airplanes.
“Speed tape is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved material for some temporary fixes,” an organization spokesperson clarified to SWNS.
They explained that on this case, it was likely used to repair “paint adhesion” issues which were plaguing some 787s.
In line with the spokesperson, the sticky material is used to maintain paint from peeling off — and never to haphazardly hold a rickety aircraft together.
Make amends for Boeing’s ongoing airplane fiasco
Boeing has recently been tormented by safety concerns that began Jan. 5 after a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Oregon to California.
In line with the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane — which was operated by Alaska Airlines — seemed to be missing 4 key bolts.
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, threatened to shun Boeing after the carrier’s fleet of Max 9 aircraft was grounded within the wake of the near-disastrous Alaska Airlines door blowout.
Disaster struck again every week later after a Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan as a result of a crack within the cockpit window.
Recently, a UK passenger grew alarmed after noticing pieces of tape on the outside of a Boeing 787 during a flight to India, as seen in shocking photos. “It began peeling off mid-flight, I believed, ‘What the hell!?’” exclaimed the appalled Brit. “I pointed it out to my missus — she just said, ‘I wish you hadn’t shown me that.’”
A Boeing 757 lost its front tire because the aircraft was preparing to depart for a world flight in late January. On the Atlanta International Airport, a Delta flight certain for Bogota, Colombia, was taxiing across the runway into takeoff position when one other plane alerted the control tower that something was amiss.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary previously said he’s made ‘loud complaints’ to Boeing over quality control.
The representative acknowledged that the fabric might look unsightly, but that it’s only an interim fix before they start applying a recent black topcoat layer to all their planes during production.
“The airplane’s structural integrity stays intact, and this has been determined to not be a security of flight issue,” the rep assured.
Nonetheless, it’s perhaps not surprising that the sight of tape would set off alarm bells.
Boeing has recently been tormented by safety concerns that began Jan. 5 after a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Oregon to California.
In line with the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane — which was operated by Alaska Airlines — seemed to be missing 4 key bolts.
Photo evidence released Tuesday revealed that the bolts were missing from the door plug, which had been removed to repair rivets that were damaged within the production process, per the report.
Disaster struck again every week later after a Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan as a result of a crack within the cockpit window.
