Apr 14, 2000 - 07:45 AM

Boeing Says Rivets Must Be Replaced in Jumbo Jets

The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) - Boeing Co. has warned airlines and federal regulators that rivets used to reinforce a plane's structure need to be replaced in 27 747-400 jumbo jets.

A mechanic at Boeing's Wichita, Kan., plant discovered on April 4 that as many as 1,000 of the wrong kind of rivets had been installed on each aircraft. Ten have been delivered and are in service with airlines.

Boeing spokeswoman Shannon Myers said the rivets used on the upper deck and main deck of the jumbo jets do not pose a flight safety risk. Myers said, however, that the rivets do help reinforce part of the plane's structure and that those used cannot handle the stress involved.

She said about 300 to 1,000 rivets on each plane were at issue - a small number given the tens of thousands of rivets used in each aircraft.

The problem happened when two types of rivets that look almost identical were mistakenly placed in the same bin, Myers said.

The company will issue a service bulletin in a few days telling its customers how to fix the problem.

Boeing itself will have to take an additional three days per aircraft to fix the problems on the airplanes still under construction.

This is the eighth instance of manufacturing and parts problems Boeing has faced since the beginning of the year.

There also have been problems with loose nuts on next-generation 737 aircraft, improper fasteners on various aircraft models and weakened wing structure supports in a few planes.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently completed a full survey of Boeing's supply and manufacturing processes. The FAA plans to issue a joint "action plan" with the company to rectify the problems. That plan will likely be released in early summer.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGIPNEOQ17C.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), April 14, 2000