§ Mr. Whitakerasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the faults which have recently necessitated Boeing 707 aircraft to be withdrawn and modified by British airlines.
§ Mr. JayIn view of the discovery of hairline fatigue cracks in the tail fin attachments of some Boeing 707 aircraft, the Boeing Company issued a Service Bulletin calling for certain inspections to be made and specifying remedial action if cracks were found. This was an interim measure to give time for the manufacturer to produce an improved fin attachment design. This has now been done, and the Federal Aviation Agency of18W U.S.A. has issued an Airworthiness Directive which requires the modification to be incorporated after certain specified flying hours in all Boeing 707 aircraft. None of B.O.A.C.'s Boeings had reached the limits, but the Corporation decided to carry out the modification work during routine major overhauls, which are generally arranged for the winter months. The overhaul work included repairs to the interior of the aircraft and to the skins of some nacelle pylons. The Boeing fleet has not had to be withdrawn from service, but the period required for routine major overhaul has been extended to accommodate the extra work.