expressindia.indianexpress.com
expressindia web
HomeBlogsCricketAstrology ShoppingTendersClassifieds Reader Comments
Font Size
Expressindia » Story

FAA calls plane safe, but will review Boeing 787

PTI

Posted: Jan 12, 2013 at 1249 hrs IST
An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner is directed to its gate after arriving from Tokyo at San Jose International Airport.  (Reuters)

Washington The US government has stepped in to assure the public that Boeing's new 787 "Dreamliner" is safe to fly, even as it launched a comprehensive review to find out what caused a fire, a fuel leak and other worrisome incidents this week.

Despite the incidents, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared yesterday: "I believe this plane is safe, and I would have absolutely no reservations about boarding one of these planes and taking a flight."

Administrator Michael Huerta of the Federal Aviation Administration said his agency has seen no data suggesting the plane isn't safe but wanted the review to find out why safety-related incidents were occurring.

The 787 is the aircraft maker's newest and most technologically advanced airliner, and the company is counting heavily on its success. 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.

A fire ignited Monday 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.

Also this week, 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 an engine of a 787 flight from southern Japan's Miyazaki airport to Tokyo.

The jet returned to Miyazaki, and after checks found no safety risk it flew to Tokyo. ANA said that on another flight, to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, glass in a cockpit window cracked, and the aircraft was grounded for repairs.

ANA said it has no specific plan for inspections and will continue regular operations, though it said it would comply with instructions from the FAA and other authorities.

The FAA review announced yesterday, which will be conducted jointly with Boeing, will include the design, manufacture and assembly of the 787 with an emphasis on the plane's electrical power and distribution systems.

The review will also examine how the plane's electrical and mechanical systems interact with each other.

Print
 
Post Comments
Name* Email ID*
Subject* Country*
Message*
Characters remaining
 
TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).
I agree to the terms of use.

Latest News

Business

Showbiz

Sports

IPL spot-fixing: Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra's passport seized

Bypoll victory brightens Modi's chance to lead BJP in Lok Sabha elections

L K Advani does a U-turn, okays Narendra Modi for BJP campaign chief

Centre waters down NCTC plan

Police slap MCOCA on Sreesanth, others citing D-Company links

Rhiti Sports link: M S Dhoni probe not on top of BCCI agenda

BSE Sensex down 62 points in early trade, realty, IT shares hit

More
© The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved
Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Feedback | Express Group | Site Map