Flawed Coating is the Cause of Dreamliner Fuel Leak
TOKOYO - Investigators from Japan’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry have determined that a fuel leak in a Japan Airlines 787 was due to flaws in the coating of a fuel-pipe valve. On January 13, jet fuel leaked from the valve as maintenance workers at Narita International Airport were removing fuel from the Boeing Dreamliner 787. An indicator in the cockpit showed the value was closed when it was actually open.
According to an article published in The Japan Times, officials from the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry asked the valve manufacturer to look into the problem. The manufacturer found that an unnecessary coating was applied to the valve, which caused its motor switch not to function properly. The same plane had leaked fuel earlier in January at Boston’s Logan International Airport. An investigation into that issue discovered that a different valve had failed to close due to a foreign substance stuck in the fuel tank.