[Bobalu]

That is a very SERIOUS problem!

Especially when you only have two engines.

In many ways the old four engine 707 was a safer plane.... but those four engines did use a lot of jet fuel.

I’m not sure if the 707 could remain in slow-speed flight with just one engine running but at least the single engine would give you a longer time to chose where you were going to attempt an emergency landing.

If it ain’t Boeing then I ain’t going.

[libh8er]

I have flown at least half a dozen times on the 787. The engine never once shut down in mid flight.

[Psalm 73]

NEWS FLASH!
Every aircraft model flying has "urgent safety issues". That's the nature of aviation - you identify issues, and you fix them. Constantly.
Nothing to see here - move along folks....

[mkjessup]

Two things come to mind, the first that it is ironic that an icing problem has shown up with the 787, when it was a carburetor icing problem that caused so many issues with the B-36 Peacemaker strategic bomber of the 1950's, which led to the loss of more than one of those giant six-engine monsters. Different times and different technology of course.

On the subject of two engines vs. four engines, I long ago found this video on YouTube that any aviation enthusiast should enjoy, titled "Flying With Arthur Godfrey", Godfrey who was at one time bigger than Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey combined, was also a fully qualified and certified pilot, and personal friends with Captain Eddie Rickenbacker (essentially the founder of Eastern Airlines after purchasing it from General Motors in 1938). Rickenbacker made Godfrey an honorary Captain, and this film (48 minutes in length) takes the viewer on an Eastern flight on board an old (new at the time) Lockheed Constellation, it is a fabulous film.

One of the notable parts of the flight begins at 32:20, when Godfrey (along with the crew) demonstrate how the Constellation, even with THREE motors feathered, could continue flying on only ONE engine, that is an impressive feat to say the least.

Anyway, here's the URL for the video, hope somebody might enjoy it like I did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6VfkKjlhXs

[HokieMom]

My understanding from touring the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, is that the customer chooses between the GE engine or the Rolls-Royce engine when placing an order for planes. This finding should boost the sale of the Rolls-Royce engines.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Airbus has had this same issue

[ThunderSleeps]

Interesting, but it isn't really the 787's problem, it is a GE engine problem. The GEnx is used on both the 787 and 747-8. Apparently this icing problem has been a known issue since early 2013 occurring first on the engines used in the 747.

Ever since reading Michael Crichton's "Airframe" I've been conscious of how often aircraft get blamed for failures outside their control. In fact there's a specific incident in the book where the Norton aircraft is blamed for an incident involving an engine failure. True, the engine is part of the system, and overall it is a problem with 747 and 787 aircraft - equipped with this type of engine. (and no, I'm not even a Boeing employee, I actually work for another company that is a sometimes competitor, sometimes partner with Boeing)

[minnesota_bound]

C’mon do you really need 2 working engines?
They have another 2.... oh wait.

[Cementjungle]

can cause the engines to shut down mid-flight

That's an EPA-mandated Climate Change mitigation feature.