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On
January 9, United Airlines reported a problem in one of
its six 787s with the wiring in the same area as the
battery fire on JAL's airliner; the U.S. National
Transportation Safety Board subsequently opened a safety
probe.
On
January 16, 2013, an All Nippon Airways 787 made an
emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport on Shikoku Island
after the flight crew received a computer warning that
there was smoke inside one of the electrical
compartments. ANA said that there was an error message
in the cockpit citing a battery malfunction. Passengers
and crew were evacuated using emergency slides.
As
a result of these battery issues and other issues the
FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to
address a potential battery fire risk in the 787. The AD
requires 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.
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. As a result of this AD those countries
that their airlines operate the Boeing 787 also grounded
the 787.
The 787 relies more than any other modern airliner
on electricity to power nearly everything the plane
does. It’s also the first Boeing plane to use
rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for its main
electrical system. These batteries are prone to
overheating but have additional safeguards installed
that are meant to control the problem and prevent
fires.
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