Seattle/New Delhi: A body panel fell off a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India as it came into land on Saturday, the latest glitch for the high-tech jet that has suffered a string of mishaps since its introduction two years ago.
The eight feet by four feet (2.4 metres by 1.2 metres) piece of fuselage fell from the underside of the jet and landed within the perimeter at India's Bangalore airport, officials said.
"It was the mid-underwing-to-body fairing located on the belly of the airplane on the right side," said Boeing spokesman Doug Alder. The part "provides a more aerodynamic surface in flight."
An Air India spokesman said the panel had been sent for examination and the Boeing spokesman said the planemaker was working to understand what caused the panel to detach.
He declined to say whether the plane was made at Boeing's South Carolina factory which has built a number of Air India's jets.
The panel was replaced with one taken from another 787 Dreamliner, the Air India spokesman said.
"From the safety point of view, there is no hazard at all," the spokesman said. He said authorities were investigating the incident.
16/10/13 Reuters
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The eight feet by four feet (2.4 metres by 1.2 metres) piece of fuselage fell from the underside of the jet and landed within the perimeter at India's Bangalore airport, officials said.
"It was the mid-underwing-to-body fairing located on the belly of the airplane on the right side," said Boeing spokesman Doug Alder. The part "provides a more aerodynamic surface in flight."
An Air India spokesman said the panel had been sent for examination and the Boeing spokesman said the planemaker was working to understand what caused the panel to detach.
He declined to say whether the plane was made at Boeing's South Carolina factory which has built a number of Air India's jets.
The panel was replaced with one taken from another 787 Dreamliner, the Air India spokesman said.
"From the safety point of view, there is no hazard at all," the spokesman said. He said authorities were investigating the incident.
16/10/13 Reuters
