The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered inspections of certain Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft after production records failed to confirm required checks of sealant in the centre wing fuel tank. The directive, effective 7 December 2026, covers 60 US-registered aircraft and requires detailed inspections and sealant adhesion tests to address a potential ignition and fuel-tank explosion risk during a lightning strike.
Operators must examine specified sealant installations in the left, right and centre wing side-of-body areas for defects and surface depressions, then test adhesion. Repairs are required where the inspection results call for them, following the procedures in Boeing’s requirements bulletin. The directive identifies aircraft by reference to that bulletin rather than applying to the entire 787 fleet.
The FAA estimates the inspection and testing will take 34 work-hours per aircraft, at a cost of $2,890 each, or $173,400 for the affected US fleet. That estimate excludes repairs: the agency has no data to calculate how many aircraft may need them or the resulting costs, and some repair expenses may be covered by Boeing warranty.
In the final rule, the FAA accepted Boeing procedures for certain repairs and clarified parts of the inspection scope following comments on its earlier proposal. It also noted that the specified sealant inspections are being carried out in production on aircraft outside the directive’s applicability.