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November 17, 2010 - While the investigation into the
incident onboard 787 Dreamliner ZA002 continues, Boeing
has established a plan to fly two other aircraft, ZA001
and ZA005, back to Seattle
from Rapid City, S.D., and Victorville,
Calif.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has reviewed
and approved the plans.
During approach to
Laredo,
Texas, last Tuesday, Boeing?s 787
Dreamliner ZA002 while on a test flight, lost primary
electrical power as a result of an onboard electrical
fire. Backup systems, including the deployment of the
Ram Air Turbine (RAT), functioned and allowed the crew
to complete a safe landing. The cause of the fire is
still under investigation by Boeing.
The pilots executed a safe landing and at all times had
positive control of the airplane and all of the
information necessary to perform that safe landing.
Initial inspection appears to indicate that a power
control panel in the aft electronics bay will need to be
replaced on ZA002.
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Boeing
reports they are inspecting the power panel and surrounding
area near that panel to determine if other repairs will be
necessary. ZA001 was undergoing refueling in South Dakota when the incident on ZA002
occurred and the company decided to forgo additional
flights. ZA005 was on remote deployment for testing in
California.
The
flights follow a series of inspections on the airplanes' aft
electronics bays. No testing will be performed on the flights.
The team investigating the incident in
Laredo
has developed a detailed understanding of the ZA002 incident,
though more work remains to complete the investigation.
In
addition to the information already released about the incident,
data show that the total duration of the incident was less than
90 seconds, the fire lasted less than 30 seconds, the airplane
concluded the event in a configuration that could have been
sustained for the time required to return to an airport suitable
for landing from any point in a typical 787 mission profile.
The team
in Texas
has completed inspection of ZA002 and has begun to prepare to
install a new power panel and new insulation material. The team
also is repairing minor structural damage that occurred during
the event. This damage will be addressed with standard repair
techniques in the airplane structural repair manual. The team is
currently evaluating the timeline for completion of the repair
work.
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