Boeing 787 Dreamliner could be unsafe, report claims

From correspondents in New York
Agence France-Presse
September 19, 2007 11:00am

THE new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has been snapped up by airlines including Qantas, is made from a brittle material that could shatter instead of crumple in a crash, a former Boeing engineer says.
BOEING'S new 787 Dreamliner plane may be unsafe and could lead to more deaths in crashes, according to a US report by journalist Dan Rather to be broadcast today.
The plane, which is mostly made from brittle carbon compounds rather than flexible aluminium, is more likely to shatter on impact and may emit poisonous chemicals when ignited, Rather will report. 

The report is based on interviews with a former Boeing engineer and various industry experts, according to a transcript of the show. 

"The problem is all the unknowns that are being introduced and then explained away as if there is no problem," former Boeing engineer Vince Weldon told Rather. 

Mr Weldon described a recent crash in a standard aluminium plane where the dented but intact fuselage kept fire at bay and allowed passengers to leave the plane alive. 

"With a composite airframe, the fuselage would not crumple, it would shatter... that shattered hole would be there for the fire that's going into the airplane," he said.
"Instead of everyone getting out, it would be a far less positive result.''

Mr Weldon said he was fired by Boeing after a 46-year career because of his persistent complaints about the design of the 787.

He claimed to represent the view of others at Boeing who were afraid to speak out.

Boeing, which did not provide officials for on-camera interviews in Rather's report, said Weldon's claims were not valid and the plane would not fly if it was not safe.

"We've looked at Mr Weldon's claims. We've had technical committees review them. We do an exceptional amount of testing," said Lori Gunter, a spokeswoman for Boeing's commercial plane unit.

"Absolutely, these materials are safe. They are tested, they will be certified."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must find the 787 to be as crashworthy as aluminium planes, and the plane was doing well in those tests so far, she said.

Ms Gunter declined to comment on the circumstances of Mr Weldon's departure from Boeing.

Boeing's lightweight, fuel-efficient 787 is set for its first test flight between mid-November and mid-December after a three month delay due to a shortage of bolts and problems programming the flight control software.

The first 787 is due to be delivered to Japan's All Nippon Airways in May next year, meaning it will have at most six months of flight tests – much shorter than previous jetliner programs.

Boeing's rival Airbus, owned by European aerospace company EADS, is also working on a composite fuselage for its new A350 jet, but it is some years behind Boeing in the design and production process.

In Rather's report, Mr Weldon and other experts argued that the carbon-composite fuselage would not survive a lightning strike as well as aluminium, would emit toxic fumes when burning, and could easily be damaged without any visible sign.

Mr Weldon said Boeing was misrepresenting to airlines the ease of maintenance on carbon fuselage planes.

The report cited experts referring to Airbus planes that had carbon parts with problems that were not easily visible.

Rather's report also included interviews with aviation experts who saw little or no problem with the 787.

"I'm excited to ride on the 787. I'm excited to fly in composite aircraft," said Joseph Rakow, an engineer at consulting company Exponent, in an interview in the report.

Todd Wissing, a commercial pilot, said he would fly the 787 as long as the composite materials are rigorously tested.

"We put safety as our top priority," he said.

"We use the 21st century inspection methods with these new materials. Then we have complete confidence that we can get in that airplane with our passengers and go fly because that's what we can do."

Rather was a former CBS News anchor but let the station after a scandal over his reporting on US President George W. Bush's military record.

The Dreamliner report is the latest edition of Dan Rather Reports, a series broadcast on subscription-only television station HDNet.