Boeing's 787 Tail Spin: Not "Grounded," Just Not Flying

Yesterday afternoon came reports that Boeing had "grounded" its five 787 test planes because of problem with the tail's horizontal stabilizer.

This morning, Boeing says grounded isn't the right word--it's just that the test planes will see a delay of a few days for inspection before they fly again. "Boeing has made the decision to inspect the horizontal stabilizers on all flight test airplanes before their next flights to ensure any rework is completed as quickly as possible."

It'll take a little longer to inspect the 23 787s built so far, says the Seattle Times. Because it's a workmanship issue, some planes may be fine.

The culprit, once again, is Italian workmanship. Forbes says manufacturer Alenia improperly installed shims and over-torqued fasteners. This kind of thing is the reason you have test programs; Boeing says it shouldn't affect delivery of the first 787s to All Nippon Airways end of 2010.