Federal Register · Regulatory notice

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2022-15-01, which applies to certain The Boeing Company Model 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 airplanes. AD 2022-15-01 requires inspecting certain vertical fin tension bolt holes; reviewing the bolt sealant application installation procedure in the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable; checking maintenance records to determine the replacement status of vertical fin tension bolts; and doing applicable on-condition actions. Since the FAA issued AD 2022-15-01, the FAA has determined that optional sealant types allowed by that AD may not provide sufficient time to complete all bolt installations. The FAA has also received additional reports of corrosion that, in some cases, was more severe than expected. As a result, the FAA has determined that the compliance times for certain actions must be reduced. This proposed AD would, for certain airplanes, continue to require certain actions required by AD 2022-15-01 with reduced compliance times. For certain airplanes, this proposed AD would also require reviewing maintenance records to determine whether a correct sealant application method was used and performing applicable on-condition actions. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.