Boeing completes destructive testing on 787 Dreamliner wing box

SEATTLE -- Boeing said today it has completed destructive testing on a full-scale composite wing box of the 787 Dreamliner, the first all-composite wing box ever built for a Boeing commercial airplane.

The test is part of the certification process for the new jetliner.

"Successful completion of the wing box destruction test marks a major step forward in highlighting the innovation on the 787," Mark Jenks, vice president of 787 Development said in a statement. "In addition to determining the strength of the structure, the test helps us verify the analytical methods we have used to calculate the loads the structure will have to carry."

To meet certification requirements, the wings must withstand loads up 150 percent of the highest load that the jet could ever be expected to see in the lifetime of the 787 fleet.

The test wing box was designed and built by a joint team of Boeing, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries.

Structural testing will continue on two full-scale 787 airframes as part of the certification process for the airplane, Boeing said.