New Aircraft Repair Technique Receives FAA Certification, Delta L-1011 Returned to Trans-Atlantic Service

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week gave an improved type of aircraft fuselage 'patch' a thumbs up and returned a Delta Airlines L-1011 to commercial service.

It was the plane's first inspection since a team led by Sandia National Laboratories engineers installed the patch -- called a "bonded composite doubler" -- in late February to reinforce a corner of the plane's right mid- section access door. The 250-passenger jetliner had been flying a trans-Atlantic route -- with stops in New York, France, England, and The Netherlands -- almost daily since the installation. It is the first time the new reinforcement technique has been used on commercial aircraft.

The technology's development and FAA flight certification were conducted at the Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC), managed and staffed by Sandia for the FAA. The AANC is located near the Albuquerque International Sunport. Sandia led the project team, which included investigators from Delta, the FAA, Textron Systems Division (a composite materials manufacturer), and Lockheed Martin Corp. (the L-1011 model was built by Lockheed in the early '70s). The FAA sponsored the work as part of a program to extend the service lives of aging commercial aircraft.
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I was curious if the Composite repair doublers had withstood the test of time, weather and of course stress?

Had a reliable Ultrasonic inspection been mandated for these composite repair doublers? Which, most of us know composites are subjected to delaminations.

Did this Composite repair prove to prolong the continued airworthiness of the door surround corners subjected to a history of cracks?

Had the Composite repair terminated the need for radiographic inspection of door surround areas of cracks?

David Kraft Indianapolis Indiana AP/ANST