Fresh blow for Boeing as 777X test fleet GROUNDED after cracks found in structure that connects wings & engines

BOEING has been forced to ground its whole fleet of 777X test planes after cracks were found in the structure.

Workers reportedly found a concerning fracture on three out of four of the aircrafts in the area of the jet that connects the wings and the engines.

AP

A grounded Boeing jet at an airfield[/caption]

The initial plane to be checked was found to have a crack in it after the test plane landed in Hawaii with a damaged structure over the weekend.

Two more planes were then inspected once they descended and found to have cracks in the crucial part of the assembly as well.

According to two sources close to Boeing, the issue led to the engine’s “thrust link” onboard being severed.

A statement from Boeing to news outlet The Air Current said: “During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed.

“Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready.

“We are keeping the FAA fully informed on the issue and have shared information with our customers.”

Boeing has previously labelled the 777X as one of their most state-of-the-art aircraft after years of development.

The jets were due to be first deployed in commercial use back in 2020 but the date was pushed back until sometime this year.

After the latest issues last week, the company have announced no flights will be taking off until 2025.

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark says he isn’t anticipating to receive any of the aircraft until 2026 – despite him expecting 200 models.

The serious error comes just weeks after the FAA allowed Boeing to run test flights for the 777X aircraft.

Boeing have confirmed the FAA are aware of the issues.

The planes are said to feature new composite wings and increased cabin size allowing for more seats onboard.

They also use new GE9X engines which have been made by Boeing and are unique to them due to each engine using two thrust links made of a heavy titanium.

However, these are said to be linked to the issues after damage to a thrust link was reportedly severed during the test flights.

Qatar Airways are believed to have placed a significant order of 20 777X’s, say Forbes.

All 20 are said to have been made already despite only four being tested so far.

Boeing has faced a number of issues in the past six years from horror flights to major malfunctions.

Back in July a Boeing-made jet suffered a burst tyre on take-off.

Shocking footage captured the back tyre of the American Airlines-operated 737 jet as its wheels explode forcing it to abandon the flight.

A separate incident saw a wheel come flying off a fully loaded Boeing 757 aircraft just seconds after taking off from Los Angeles airport earlier this year.

Video captured the main landing gear wheel rolling down the tarmac as it flew off from the jet mid-air.

The Sun also revealed in June that a jumbo jet’s windshield was left cracked at 40,000ft in the air sparking fears of a new flaw at troubled manufacturer Boeing.

The Sun was shown a shocking snap of the Virgin Atlantic plane window after it returned to the UK with the central glass panel appearing to be dented in multiple areas.

As just weeks ago it was announced that Boeing is set to plead guilty to criminal fraud conspiracy chargers after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in the space of five months.

The company also agreed to pay a £190 million fine ($243.6 million) to resolve a US Justice Department investigation into the crashes.

A Boeing 737 Max plane operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air crashed in late October 2018 shortly after take-off, killing all 189 people on board.

Just months later, an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed, killing all 157 passengers and crew.

The plea deal, which requires a judge’s approval, would brand the planemaker a convicted felon in connection with crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019 which killed 346 people.

The victim’s families criticised the swift deal, as they had hoped to see Boeing face a trial and suffer harsher financial consequences.