The company assured that the tape does not compromise the plane’s structural integrity.
An airplane passenger in the UK was left shocked when he looked out of the window and saw gaffer tape on the wing of his plane. According to the New York Post, David Parker, 62, was on his way to Goa with his fiancee on February 5 when he saw patches of silver tape on the exterior of a Boeing 787.
Me Parker, who is an experienced flye said: “I was very surprised to see a patchwork of gaffer tape all over the wing halfway through the flight. Then it began peeling off mid-flight, I thought what the hell!? I’ve flown all around the world, but never seen anything like that before. I pointed it out to my missus – she just said ‘I wish you hadn’t shown me that’.”
Boeing, which manufactures the 787 he was flying on, later clarified that the material was ‘speed tape’. The company assured that the tape is perfectly safe and does not compromise the plane’s structural integrity.
”Some 787s have experienced some paint adhesion issues. We understand the importance of a pristine appearance for our products and continue to work with our customers to address this. A new black topcoat layer that would be applied between the composite and existing coating system is now available to 787 operators for in-service airplanes.
We are also working to certify the new layer to be applied to airplanes as part of the production process. recommended interim solutions include the use of a temporary speed tape repair, local paint restoration and touch-up, or stripping and repainting the airplane. Speed tape is an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved material for some temporary fixes,” a company spokesperson clarified.
Notably, the incident comes after a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Oregon to California last month. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane which was operated by Alaska Airlines appeared to be missing four key bolts.
