16/03/2026
The FAA has proposed a new airworthiness directive for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after a Boeing investigation found that gaps
between structural components may have exceeded engineering limits during assembly.
The issue involves "shim gaps." When large fuselage sections of the 787 are joined together, small gaps can appear between parts.
Workers fill those gaps with thin pieces of material called shims. But in some aircraft, the gaps were too large and excessive force was used to pull the sections together. Over time, this can cause fatigue cracks to form in the wing structure.
If left undetected, those cracks could weaken the primary wing structure to the point where it can no longer sustain the loads required for safe flight.
The directive would require airlines to perform repetitive ultrasonic inspections of splice plates, spar terminal fittings, lower chords, and jack pads. It applies to all three variants: the 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. Only 17 U.S. registered aircraft are affected, likely based on when they were built. The main U.S. operators of the 787 are United Airlines, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines.
Boeing says it supports the directive and that the 787 fleet can continue normal operations. Full scale fatigue testing involving 165,000 simulated flights found zero fatigue issues in the composite structure.
The FAA is accepting public comments until April 27, 2026.
