Summary

TAPE_NUMBER: EF99/1226 IN_TIME: 18:08:18 - 19:14:28 // 19:56:28 - 20:39:43 LENGTH: 01:37 SOURCES: APTN/BOEING VNR RESTRICTIONS: FEED: VARIOUS (THE ABOVE TIME-CODE IS TIME-OF-DAY) SCRIPT: English/Nat The U-S airplane manufacturer Boeing has stopped delivery of four commercial jetliner models because a cockpit component was made improperly and could burn too easily Boeing said the problem was completely unrelated to the EgyptAir 990 crash and that there is no immediate safety concern Boeing says hundreds of 747s, 757s, 767s, and 777s made in recent years are in operation with what they describe as nonconforming drip shields The drip shields are designed to protect vital wiring and instruments from condensation The shields are made from a sandwich of fibre glass or Kevlar, a middle layer of insulation and an outer layer of plastic Tests found that an extra layer of adhesive had been improperly used, increasing the shield's flammability The incorrectly manufactured part had been placed on every 747, 757, 767 and 777 for what Boeing said was apparently a few years According to Boeing, delivery of 34 planes is being delayed while Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration officials decide what to do about the problem Production will not be interrupted, the company said The executive safety chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association International is not worried about safety implications and is commending Boeing for making the recommendation SOUNDBITE: (English) I think it's to the credit of Boeing, in this climate of media excitement if you will, they went ahead and went forward with the recommendation as a normal regularly scheduled routine type of advisory The airlines are getting these things on a more or less regular basis and they cope with them very, very nicely SUPER CAPTION: Captain Paul McCarthy, Executive Air Safety Chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association International The FAA says it and Boeing are still deciding what to do about airplanes that have already been delivered Boeing officials say replacing the shields altogether would take several days per plane, but that more tests are needed before taking such a drastic step Captain McCarthy says it's not unusual for this type of thing to happen SOUNDBITE: (English) As with a manufacturer of any product, automobiles, hair dryers, baby food, you name it, they will occasionally look at their manufacturing process and say 'you know we could have done a better job on this,' and then they'll go out to the airlines and say 'hello we need to change this SUPER CAPTION: Captain Paul McCarthy, Executive Air Safety Chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association International The FAA has not issued an airworthiness directive, which amounts to an order to US carriers to correct the problem, and according to Boeing one does not appear imminent Boeing officials say the EgyptAir 767 that crashed on Sunday, and a Lauda Air 767 that crashed in Thailand in 1991, had drip shields that conformed to Boeing and FAA standards The company says manufacturing processes have been corrected and the problem should not affect Boeing's plans to deliver 620 planes this year SHOTLIST: Washington, D-C, U-S-A - November 2, 1999 and File XFA BOEING VNR - FILE 1 Boeing 747-400 taking off 2 Construction in cockpit 3 Close up of instrument board APTN - Washington D-C - November 2, 1999 4 Captain Paul McCarthy walking down hallway 5 SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Paul McCarthy - Executive Air Safety Chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association International BOEING VNR - FILE 6 Boeing 757 in flight 7 Boeing worker doing quality control APTN - Washington DC - November 2, 1999 8 SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Paul McCarthy - Executive Air Safety Chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association International BOEING VNR - FILE 9 Boeing 767 landing?