Air France has issued a statement saying it will ramp up inspections following the incident of a removable panel in the landing gear assembly which fell off its Boeing 777, F-GSQF, shortly after take-off on July 13.
The aircraft was operating flight AF111 from Shanghai to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, on July 13, when the panel fell on a Shanghai suburb.
https://twitter.com/thenanfang/status/622387295358963712
Reporting on the incident, The Nanfang, says the part “was 70 centimetres long and tore a hole in the patio awning of a Fusheng company.”
The airline has now issued a statement stating that it will investigate the incident and ramp-up inspections, mentioning also that the part has proven fragile in the past.
“The loss of this panel did not affect the aircraft’s airworthiness and no-one was injured. The flight continued to Paris without incident.
“Air France teams, alongside teams from the manufacturer, Boeing, are carrying out investigations of this technical event in order to determine the causes. In the past, other airlines have also experienced problems with the fragility of this part.
“Along with the verifications planned as part of the manufacturer’s maintenance programme, Air France has decided to implement additional inspections.”
According to data on Planefinder, F-GSQF was delivered to Air France on 12-11-04.
Featured image of F-GSQF is used under CC license, Source: Wikimedia Commons, taken by ERIC SALARD from ORLEANS, FRANCE on March 8, 2104.