Boeing clashes with FAA over 727 auxiliary tank explosion risk

Boeing and the US FAA have clashed over a safety modification for Boeing 727s, with the regulator rejecting 3 attempts by the airframer to have the proposal withdrawn. The FAA’s concern centres on 727s fitted with Boeing’s body-mounted auxiliary fuel tanks. It argues that the fuel-quantity indicating system presents a potential electrical ignition source and, within 12 months, operators should either modify the system, to eliminate the risk of explosion, or de-activate the fuel tanks. But Boeing has objected to the requirement, on 3 fronts. It insists its own safety assessment shows the 727 does not have an unsafe condition, that the likelihood of an undetected latent electrical fault of the indicating system is “extremely remote”, and that the type’s vulnerability is limited. <br/>