Two more problems hit 787 Dreamliners in Japan on Friday, including a crack in a cockpit windshield that grounded one flight, the latest setbacks for Boeing's flagship aircraft.
The crack was discovered after a flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport to Matsuyama in the country's southwest and comes at the end of a week in which three other planes suffered problems, including a fire and a fuel leak.
Operator All Nippon Airways (ANA) said the crack, in the window on the pilot's side of the cockpit, caused no problems for the 237 passengers and nine crew on board, but added that the return flight had been cancelled.
ANA said another Dreamliner flight, shuttling between Haneda and southern Miyazaki prefecture, experienced a delay due to an oil leak from a generator, rigged inside an engine.
"We found an oil stain, not a dripping oil leak. It did not affect safety and the flight capability of the plane," an ANA spokesman said.
On Monday, a Japan Airlines operated Dreamliner caught fire after landing in Boston from Tokyo. On Tuesday, the same airline aborted a flight after around 40 gallons of fuel spilled on to the runway in Boston.
The following day, ANA cancelled a regional hop in Japan after an apparent problem with the braking system. Friday's glitch is yet another blow to the reputation of the Dreamliner, which had been lauded by US manufacturer Boeing for a high-tech composite fibre body that reduces weight and improves fuel efficiency.
But a series of delays in the manufacturing process has been compounded by a number of problems since the plane went into service in October 2011 with launch customer ANA. In July last year, test engine trouble was the subject of a probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board. The same month, ANA said it was grounding five Dreamliners for repairs because of a defect in the Rolls-Royce engine.
In February, Boeing said around 55 Dreamliners were at risk of developing a fuselage problem. Dow Jones News wires reported that electrical problems prompted an emergency landing in New Orleans by a United Continental Dreamliner flight recently.
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