Boeing has suspended loading tests with the new 777X after an incident. According to the The Seattle Times newspaper reported that an aircraft cargo door exploded during a static test of high-pressure fuselage stress. The manufacturer did not provide details about the problem.
“During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required the suspension of the test,” Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman said in a statement, adding that the incident left no casualties and is being investigated for the company.
In this type of test, aircraft are subjected to large loads that go well beyond normal operating conditions, Bergman explained. Approval of these requirements is required for aircraft certification by the FAA, the US Civil Aviation Agency, and industry agencies in other countries.
In July, Boeing postponed the first flight of the new 777 (version -9) to early 2020 after encountering durability problems on General Electric’s GE9X engine. Previously, the manufacturer planned to take off with the aircraft by the end of 2019.
Another setback to the 777X program was the temporary suspension of development of the 777-8, the longer range version of the new series. The manufacturer made such a decision to focus its efforts on the 777-9 design and also to address the problems of the 737 MAX, which has been grounded in the world since March after reporting two fatal accidents in five months.
