Overview
- On Feb. 11, 2026, 787‑8 ZA004 (N7874) flew from Seattle Boeing Field to Marana Pinal Airpark for retirement, piloted by Heather Ross and Craig Bomben with Chris Caps and analyst Elmo Valdez aboard.
- The aircraft concludes a 16‑year test career with more than 670 sorties and over 2,250 flight hours.
- ZA004 supported certification of multiple Rolls‑Royce engine variants, performed the program’s 1,000th flight, and served as the 2014 ecoDemonstrator evaluating more than 25 technologies.
- Boeing said continued operation was no longer economical as the airframe approached major maintenance thresholds and the 787 test program had matured.
- At Pinal Airpark, components will be used for training and research, with additional parts distributed as spares through Boeing Global Services to support in‑service Dreamliners.