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https://www.seattletimes.com/business/b ... ress-test/Boeing 777X’s fuselage split dramatically during September stress test
Nov. 27, 2019 at 5:00 am
The fuselage of the 777X ground test airplane was split by a high-pressure rupture during a test on Sept. 5.
With the wings bent upward and the interior at maximum pressure,
the failure occurred just shy of the ultimate load required to certify the airplane.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/b ... ress-test/Boeing got an unexpected jolt in September 2019 when engineers in Everett
put the new 777X airframe through an extreme test of its structural strength.
Just as the test approached its target stress level, an explosive depressurization tore through the fuselage.
Boeing has kept the details secret, but photos obtained show
that the extent of the damage was greater than previously disclosed
and earlier reports were wrong about crucial details.
The test plane is a complete write-off,
its fuselage skin ripped wide open just behind the wing.
A passenger door that blew out and fell to the factory floor was a secondary impact of the initial rupture,
which was located far below the door.
The relatively good news for Boeing is that because the test failed so explosively at just 1% shy of meeting federal requirements,
it will almost certainly not have to do a retest.
Regulators will likely allow it to prove by analysis that it’s enough to reinforce the fuselage in the localized area where it failed.
Asked for comment, Boeing said in a statement Tuesday
that while it has not yet completed a detailed analysis of the incident,
“what we’ve seen to date reinforces our prior assessment
that this will not have a significant impact on the design or our preparations for first flight.”
