US launches review of Boeing 787 safety issues
Source: Agencies |
January 12, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
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THE US Federal Aviation Administration has launched a comprehensive review of the critical systems of Boeing's 787, the aircraft maker's newest and most technologically advanced plane, after a fire and a fuel leak earlier this week.
FAA chief Michael Huerta said he is confident the Boeing 787 is safe, but he remains concerned about the incidents. The agency gave no indication that it intends to limit or prohibit the 787 from flying during the review.
The 787, called the Dreamliner, debuted late last year. It relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does. It's also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which charge faster and can be molded to space-saving shapes compared to other airplane batteries. The plane is made with lightweight composite materials instead of aluminum.
"We are absolutely confident in the reliability and performance of the 787," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said. "We are working with the FAA and our customers to ensure we thoroughly understand any introductory issues that arise. While we take each issue seriously, nothing we've seen in service causes us to doubt the capabilities of the airplane."
On Monday, fire ignited in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of a Japan Airlines 787 empty of passengers as the plane sat on the tarmac at Boston's Logan International Airport. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze. A day later, a fuel leak delayed a flight from Boston to Tokyo of another Japan Airlines 787.
Yesterday, Japan's All Nippon Airways reported two new cases of problems with the aircraft. ANA spokeswoman Ayumi Kunimatsu said a very small amount of oil was discovered leaking from the left engine of a 787 flight from southern Japan's Miyazaki airport to Tokyo.
The jet returned to Miyazaki, but after checks found no safety risk it flew to Tokyo. ANA said on another flight, to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, glass in a cockpit window cracked and the aircraft was grounded for repairs.
Boeing has insisted the 787's problems are no worse than it experienced when its 777 was new in the mid-1990s. That plane is now one of its top sellers and well liked by airlines.
FAA chief Michael Huerta said he is confident the Boeing 787 is safe, but he remains concerned about the incidents. The agency gave no indication that it intends to limit or prohibit the 787 from flying during the review.
The 787, called the Dreamliner, debuted late last year. It relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does. It's also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which charge faster and can be molded to space-saving shapes compared to other airplane batteries. The plane is made with lightweight composite materials instead of aluminum.
"We are absolutely confident in the reliability and performance of the 787," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said. "We are working with the FAA and our customers to ensure we thoroughly understand any introductory issues that arise. While we take each issue seriously, nothing we've seen in service causes us to doubt the capabilities of the airplane."
On Monday, fire ignited in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of a Japan Airlines 787 empty of passengers as the plane sat on the tarmac at Boston's Logan International Airport. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze. A day later, a fuel leak delayed a flight from Boston to Tokyo of another Japan Airlines 787.
Yesterday, Japan's All Nippon Airways reported two new cases of problems with the aircraft. ANA spokeswoman Ayumi Kunimatsu said a very small amount of oil was discovered leaking from the left engine of a 787 flight from southern Japan's Miyazaki airport to Tokyo.
The jet returned to Miyazaki, but after checks found no safety risk it flew to Tokyo. ANA said on another flight, to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, glass in a cockpit window cracked and the aircraft was grounded for repairs.
Boeing has insisted the 787's problems are no worse than it experienced when its 777 was new in the mid-1990s. That plane is now one of its top sellers and well liked by airlines.
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