bcj1949

Wow but not unexpected!

cyclogenesis

Wow indeed.. just saw it hit the news.. not good for Boeing.. Hopefully it is just a speedhump like the many the A380 faced..

colpuck

bloomberg has it, but nothing on the FAA website.

Weatherboy

“As a result of an in-flight, Boeing 787 battery incident earlier today in Japan, the FAA will issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations. Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe.

“The FAA will work with the manufacturer and carriers to develop a corrective action plan to allow the U.S. 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible.The in-flight Japanese battery incident followed an earlier 787 battery incident that occurred on the ground in Boston on January 7, 2013. The AD is prompted by this second incident involving a lithium ion battery.
“The battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke on two Model 787 airplanes. The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire in the electrical compartment.Last Friday, the FAA announced a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems with the possibility of further action pending new data and information.
“In addition to the continuing review of the aircraft’s design, manufacture and assembly, the agency also will validate that 787 batteries and the battery system on the aircraft are in compliance with the special condition the agency issued as part of the aircraft’s certification.
“United Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline operating the 787, with six airplanes in service. When the FAA issues an airworthiness directive, it also alerts the international aviation community to the action so other civil aviation authorities can take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their own countries.”

goalie

All over the news right now and while not surprising, imho it's late in coming

Thunderroad

And a third wow. I suspect these are just somewhat typical problems with breaking in a new type of aircraft, and that they'll be corrected pretty quickly. But better to err on the side of safety, I'm sure.

zrs70

Wow!! Just flew the 787 NRT-LAX. Arrived this morning, Jan 16. As I posted in another thread, our flight went back to gate after push back because of "electrical issues." We left 2 hours late, but we left.

cyclogenesis

Got to say.. It is interesting, with all the new technologies (Carbon fiber, advanced avionics, LCD windows etc...) It was a battery system that was the point of failure.. wonder what the battery technology is (LiIon, Li Polymer, old school)..

AntonS

What about 787s that are currently in-flight, like UA32 LAX-NRT? Divert to SEA or perhaps ANC?

whitethunder

wow, time to pull the in flight videos praising the 787s....

Sykes

The flight will proceed as planned (unless there is a different reason to divert).

uastarflyer

They did what COlgan execs refused to do. Kudos to ANA, JAL and FAA.

amejr999

UA1489 was just swapped to a 764.

rieuwa

Oh dear. These are complex pieces of engineering- good luck to the diagnosis teams.

flyinbob

I guess when you name a plane "The Dreamliner", you're just tempting fate!