FAA review addresses Boeing 787 Dreamliner safety fears
The review, which was initiated by the FAA after a battery fire aboard a 787 in Boston in January 2013, encompassed the entire plane, not specifically the battery issue.
The FAA has made seven recommendations for further improvements in Boeing processes and the agency’s oversight.
The Boston fire and another battery incident in Japan prompted the regulators to ground the plane for more than three months last year. The plane has also suffered a series of mishaps with brakes, fuel lines, electrical panels, hydraulics, and other systems.
Boeing redesigned the battery, charger and containment system to ensure battery fires would not put the plane at risk, and the Dreamliner was returned to service. Although the aircraft itself has been cleared on safety grounds the cause of the battery problems has not been determined and is still the subject of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
A battery aboard a Japan Airlines Dreamliner emitted white smoke and showed signs of melting in an incident two months ago at a Tokyo airport.
In August 2013 All Nippon Airways (ANA) found damage to the battery wiring on two 787 locator transmitters during checks.
Following the review the FAA said some of Boeing’s suppliers did not follow industry standards for inspection that include training and testing requirement for inspectors. However, the FAA said "effective processes" had been implemented to correct issues that arose during and after certification.
The report added that while some design issues had occurred, their causes tended to represent "individual escapes in the design or manufacture of the airplane".
Lithium-ion batteries have been the focus of several fire-risk warnings relating to aviation applications. Earlier this year the UK’s specialist aviation safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), warned: "that the huge growth in people carrying lithium batteries on aircraft poses a growing fire risk". The CAA said that batteries bought from respectable retailers are regulated and safe, as long as you pack them in your bag properly but admitted to be worried about cheap, copycat batteries bought from dubious sources online.
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www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/787family
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Copycat batteries threaten ‘increased fire risk’ on planes
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