What happened
On 9 March 2024, a Boeing 777-236, registration G-YMMG, completed a commercial passenger flight from Jamaica to London Gatwick Airport. Following the aircraft's arrival, maintenance engineers performing a routine post-flight inspection identified that the Outboard Auxiliary Support Fairing (OASF) was absent from the right wing. Upon examining the area, the team discovered that the primary attachment bracket had suffered a failure. The missing component was not located.
The investigation
Investigators examined the history of the fairing attachments in relation to a manufacturer Service Bulletin (SB 77-57-0055). This bulletin, originally issued in 2007 and updated in 2014, mandates a one-time inspection of these attachments because of known risks regarding cracking that could result in the loss of the fairing.
Records showed that both attachments on G-YMMG had been inspected in June 2010. During that inspection, cracks were identified on the left-wing fairing, which was subsequently repaired according to the SB. However, the right-wing fairing remained the original equipment; while no cracks were detected during the 2010 inspection, the recent failure of the bracket led to the loss of the part.
Findings
- The Outboard Auxiliary Support Fairing was lost during flight due to the failure of the primary attachment bracket.
- A previous inspection in 2010 had identified and rectified cracks on the left-wing attachment, but the right-wing attachment had shown no defects at that time.