Boeing 777 Safety Triggers Debate In Faa

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration came to the defense of the Boeing 777 on Friday after a magazine reported that engineers held misgivings about the new airliner.

“We have absolutely no doubts that this plane is safe,” FAA Administrator David R. Hinson declared.

An article in Business Week quoted mostly unidentified sources as saying engineers fear that if one of the 777’s twin engines were to throw a fan blade in flight, the engine would become unbalanced and produce vibrations that could cause a loss of stability.

“It’s an issue of safety,” one unidentified FAA engine specialist was reported to have said. “It could lead to catastrophe.”

But Hinson said the issue was examined during testing. He said FAA experts even intentionally wrecked an engine by knocking off a fan blade during operation. It continued to run and didn’t vibrate dangerously, he said.

Boeing Co. spokesman Brian Ames said the stability question was adequately considered in precertification testing. “We specifically tested for the fan blade stability issue and ruled it out as a problem,” Ames said.