Citing a Serious Flight Test Incident and Lack of Design Maturity, FAA Slows Boeing 777X Certificate

Anti-aristarchus writes:

Seems problems at Boeing are not limited to the 737 Max and the Dreamliner.

Story in the Local Paper:

In yet another blow to Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration last month formally denied the jet maker permission to move forward with a key step in certifying its forthcoming giant widebody airplane, the 777X.

In a sternly worded letter dated May 13, which was reviewed by The Seattle Times, the FAA warned Boeing it may have to increase the number of test flights planned and that certification realistically is now more than two years out, probably in late 2023.

That could push the jet's entry into commercial service into early 2024, four years later than originally planned.

The FAA cited a long litany of concerns, including a serious flight control incident during a test flight on Dec. 8, 2020, when the plane experienced an "uncommanded pitch event" - meaning the nose of the aircraft pitched abruptly up or down without input from the pilots.

Boeing has yet to satisfy the FAA that it has fully understood and corrected what went wrong that day.

Aviation sure has some of the most professional terms for really bad things. "Uncommanded pitch event"? "Uncontrolled flight into terrain"?

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