A potential flaw discovered in approximately 300 Boeing jets, including planes operated by American and United Airlines could, if left unaddressed, cause a catastrophe.

According to Daily Mail, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a new airworthiness directive to address the potential flaw.

“According to the FAA proposal, the issue involved an electrical fault on the company’s 777 jets that, if left unaddressed, could cause fuel tanks on the planes’ wings to catch fire and explode,” Daily Mail reports.

“New FAA notice reveals 300 Boeing planes used by American and United Airlines have potentially FATAL FLAW that may cause jets to EXPLODE mid-air… Earlier this year, a new series of Boeing jets were discovered to have a potentially deadly defect,” Chuck Callesto wrote.

“The problem was identified as an electrical fault in the company’s 777 jets that could lead to the fuel tanks in the plane’s wings igniting and exploding. The finding indicates that nearly 300 additional aircraft might be at risk, including jets operated by United and American Airlines, as stated in a notice by the Federal Aviation Administration,” he added.

Per Daily Mail:

The FAA reported the issue in March and requested that Boeing and other outside experts respond by May 9, but it remains unclear if the company has done so.

A Boeing spokesperson said in a statement that the FAA’s notice was part of a ‘standard regulatory process that has helped ensure air travel is the safest form of transportation. This is not an immediate safety of flight issue.’

‘There are multiple redundancies designed into modern commercial airplanes to ensure protection for electromagnetic effects. The 777 fleet has been operating for nearly 30 years, and has safely flown more than 3.9 billion passengers,’ the statement continued.

It is just the latest major safety warning to be directed at the scandal-hit company by regulators — as multiple models of Boeing passenger jets have face door plug blowouts, mid-air engine fires, and two deadly crashes which killed 346 people.

In this March 2024 airworthiness directive (AD) proposal, the FAA warned Boeing of an ‘electrostatic discharge,’ or static electricity risk, near the center-wing fuel tanks.

‘The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in an ignition source inside the fuel tank,’ the FAA said, ‘and subsequent fire or explosion.’

Earlier, a representative for the company emphasized that the FAA’s March 25, 2024 notice was for a ‘proposed rulemaking,’ seeking comment from Boeing and others before the federal agency would formally mandate any proposed fix to its 777 series of jets.

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“The FAA projected that the safety fix would cost Boeing — whose market cap is $113.53 billion as of this writing — less than $698,000 to correct for all of the 292 vulnerable Boeing 777 aircraft listed within the US registry,” Daily Mail noted.

The federal agency said the parts required to remove the ‘static electricity’-based explosion risks would only cost $98 for each Boeing 777.

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