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PoliticsFederal rulesFederal Aviation Administration
Final ruleTook effect Oct. 1, 2026

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

Built by the Tribune's code from the Federal Register. No AI wrote this page. Published in the Federal Register Aug. 27, 2026. Document 2026-17553. Updated Nov. 6, 2026.

What it does

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a Boeing investigation for manufacturing errors and excessive preload forces at the lower side of body (SOB) splice plates common to the lower outboard wing skins. That investigation concluded that shim gaps may have exceeded engineering allowances, and high pull up forces on the components may cause fatigue cracks to form at the fastener holes. This AD requires, depending on configuration, repetitive ultrasonic (UT) inspections at certain splice plates, rear spar terminal fittings, lower chords, front spar terminal fittings, and jack pads for any cracks; repetitive detailed inspections (DET) of certain splice plates for any cracks; and applicable on-condition actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Federal Aviation Administration's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

14 CFR 39

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Federal Aviation Administration has published 482 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 518 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

961 earlier Federal Register documents under regulation identifier 2120-AA64 since Jan. 1, 2025.

Since then:

What happens next and when

This AD is effective October 1, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

The record as published

Document number2026-17553
ActionFinal rule.
AgenciesTransportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
PublishedAug. 27, 2026
Effective dateOct. 1, 2026
Regulation identifier (RIN)2120-AA64
DocketFAA-2026-2295

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register