Airworthiness Directives: The Boeing Company Airplanes

What it does

• •Proposes to require inspections of Boeing 787-8 airplanes' wings for fasteners with threaded nuts lacking cap seals that may not adequately protect against lightning strike ignition sources.
• •Mandates inspections of wing fuel tanks, surge tanks, and dry bays for penetrating fasteners with threaded nuts on upper and lower wing skins, and accomplishment of specified airworthiness limitation tasks.
• •Requires operators to revise their maintenance programs to incorporate the airworthiness limitation inspection task and perform on-condition actions such as replacing electromagnetic effects sleeves or installing cap seals as needed.
• •Exempts operators from certain reporting requirements specified in the referenced Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin when performing inspections under this directive.

Why it matters

• •Addresses a safety hazard where wing skin fasteners with threaded nuts without cap seals lack reliable protection against potential ignition sources during lightning strikes, which could cause fire or explosion in fuel tanks or dry bays.
• •The FAA determined this unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop on other Boeing 787-8 aircraft of the same design, making this directive necessary for fleet-wide safety.

Who is affected

• •Operators of certain Boeing Company Model 787-8 airplanes; the FAA estimates 14 aircraft of U.S. registry are affected.
• •Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which must provide technical documentation and repair instructions referenced in the directive.

What happens next

The FAA must receive public comments by December 28, 2026, through regulations.gov or other designated methods before making a final decision on whether to adopt this proposed airworthiness directive.