The Dreamliner drama continues as a large panel fell off an Air India flight, leaving a large hole in the aircraft as it was flying.
An investigation is ongoing after a panel came off the fuselage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Saturday while 148 passengers were on board, the Daily Mail reports.
Boeing claims that the passengers were not in danger when the panel came off the fuselage. There were 148 people on board who were flying from Delhi to Bangalore.
The pilots didn't realize that the eight-by-four-foot panel was missing until after the flight landed. Boeing says the missing panel fell off the underside of the plane on the right side. The large opening has left parts of the aircraft structure visible.
"It was the mid-underwing-to-body fairing located on the belly of the airplane on the right side," Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said according to the Daily Mail. "The part 'provides a more aerodynamic surface in flight."
Adler says Boeing in investigating what caused the panel to fall off. He would not say if the plane was made at Boeing's South Carolina factory, where many Air India jets have come from.
The panel reportedly had been replaced by one taken from a new 787 Dreamliner that was not yet ready for service. The plane is supposedly waiting for a spare panel.
India's aviation officials are investigating the incident.
This is just the latest problem for the Dreamliner since it launched two years ago.
It is the latest in a series of mishaps since the high-tech jet was introduced two years ago. The entire fleet of Dreamliners was taken out of service around the world earlier this year. Since they were reinstated, the jets have continued to have problems. In July, a fire broke out on a parked plane at Heathrow. Just last week, two Dreamliner flights were cancelled due to problems with the toilets and de-icing system.
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