I know everyone loves the new composite panels, but one cracked on a 737 during a routine check

It happened yesterday afternoon during a visual inspection on the left wing. I spotted a hairline fracture near a fastener, about two inches long. Instead of just logging it and moving on, I had to pull the entire panel for a full repair, which took three extra hours. Has anyone else had issues with these newer materials holding up under stress?

3 comments

3 Comments

keith_taylor301mo ago

Honestly, that sounds about right. I swear these new panels are like my knees after a weekend of yard work. They look great until you put a little pressure on them, then they just give up. Three hours is a pain, but at least you caught it on the ground. Makes you wonder what they're saving in weight if we're just adding it back in repair time.

noahpark1mo ago

That crack sounds smaller than the ones we saw on the old aluminum panels.

johnb9524d ago

Yeah, we had the same thing on a 787 last month. The repair manual for these is a whole new level of pain, just for a tiny crack. It feels like the time saved on the build is just getting spent on the ground later.