Boeing confirms Dreamliner fastener errors

EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Boeing spokeswoman says a small percentage of the fasteners installed in the U.S. aerospace company's new Dreamliner aircraft are faulty and are being fixed.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter said nearly 3 percent of the fasteners installed in the first five test 787 Dreamliner units constructed in Everett, Wash., were found to be faulty following a recent inspection, the Seattle Times said Wednesday.

The discovery of the installation problem has prompted the removal and reinstallation of the fasteners to ensure each craft's structural integrity, Gunter said.

"It's a matter of whether the structure will hold together properly," the spokeswoman said.

"In commercial airplanes, it has to be right. It can't be 'good enough,'" she added. "So we go back and we fix it."

While Boeing did not offer specific details regarding the fastener error, the company did confirm the same installation problem was found in aircraft being constructed by several of its global partners.

The Times said the fasteners connect titanium structural parts of an aircraft to composite plastic parts inside the transport.