A serious incident has been declared after a plane landed at Gatwick missing part of its wing. The Boeing 777-236 landed at Gatwick Airport from Kingston, Jamaica, after an “uneventful” flight. But when engineers went to the plane for its post-flight inspection, they noticed a fairing, part of the wing which reduces drag, was missing from the right wing.
A report by the government’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), said the fairing was not found. The primary attachment bracket, which keeps the fairing on the wing, had failed, the report said. There were 272 passengers on the British Airways flight, which landed at Gatwick this March 9 at 12.
15pm. This diagram shows where the fairing was missing (Image: AAIB) The service bulletin, a document provided by plane manufacturers to give details of modifications, gives instructions for an inspection of the attachments of fairings as cracking has been discovered on some aircraft. It is thought that cracking can lead to a loss of the fairing.
READ MORE: Pilot, 21, dies after being ejected metres away from glider in high speed crash The AAIB report said: “Both fairing attachments on the incident aircraft were inspected in accordance with the service bulletin in June 2010 and cracks were found on the left-wing fairing. “The aircraft was modified as per the service bulletin and returned to service. “The right-wing fairing was the original equipment fitted to the aircraft and no cracks were detected at the time of the inspection.
” In the wake of this incident, the operator has launched a fleet-wide programme to reinspect the fairing attachments. “This will be accomplished when the aircraft are scheduled for a suitable maintenance interval,” the AAIB report said. “The operator reported no further findings to date but the inspections are ongoing.
” “The manufacturer has limited information on the findings from the service bulletin inspections as there was not a requirement to report them. From the reports received they do not consider any further action is required at this time, but it will remain under review as part of the continued airworthiness programme.” British Airways and Boeing were contacted for comment.
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