The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is calling on airlines to carry out extra inspections of water faucets on Boeing 787 Dreamliners because of the risk that water could leak from under the lavatory sink into sensitive electronics which are ‘flight critical’.
In a notice of proposed rulemaking, which was filed on Friday, the federal safety agency said it wants operators of all 787 Dreamliner models to carry out regular visual inspections of a faucet system underneath the sink that has been known to leak.
The risk of leakage came to light after one unnamed airline discovered a wet carpet close to the flight deck and traced the source of the water back to a so-called ‘faucet control module’ which is located underneath the sink in the Dreamliner toilet.
A faulty O-ring seal was found to be the culprit of the leak, which happens when someone washes their hands in the sink. During everyday use, only a very small amount of water might leak, but in some cases, the leak could damage “critical” equipment.
The airline which discovered the wet carpet found similar leak issues across its 787 Dreamliner fleet. The FAA did not say how many reports it had received or how many airlines have so far identified the issue.
The proposed rulemaking calls for regular inspections of the faucet control module.
Lavatories onboard Boeing 787s are provided exclusively by the Japanese aircraft equipment manufacturer Jamco. Dreamliner lavatories come with a touchless flush and faucet as standard, and a bidet system can be fitted as an optional extra.
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner program has been affected by a slew of delays, including a near two-year shutdown to allow for an extensive safety review by aviation regulators. Deliveries resumed in August 2022 but were again briefly halted earlier this year due to documentation issues.
Why are we seemingly just now hearing of all the problems of it has been in the air, in use for years? All the coverage I thought it was a relatively new piece of equipment and had wondered what rock I’d been under. I thought the “Triple Seven” and the Airbus were the latest and greatest in the sky.