FAA to launch review of Boeing 787, but calls plane safe
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government stepped in Friday 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, "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.
On Friday, 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.
Q&A: Why Boeing's dream plane is causing headaches
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 Friday, 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.
There is no obvious trend or similarity to the problems, which suggests they are more likely the result of quality control than a design flaw, aviation safety experts said.
"These appear to be isolated incidents," said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member. However, the battery fire remains a special concern because "they overheat or burn with such intensity, at such high temperatures, they can cause damage to the surrounding aircraft structure," he said.
Boeing has insisted that 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 is well-liked by airlines.
"Every new commercial aircraft has issues as it enters service," said Ray Conner, the president and CEO of Boeing's commercial aircraft division, who joined Huerta and LaHood at a Washington news conference.
Passenger Adam Welch in Seattle agreed. He had picked an All Nippon Airways flight to Korea specifically because it would be on the 787.
"I'm expecting it to be more comfortable. I'm very interested in experiencing the 787," said Welch. "I've been listening to the stories this morning and I was just hoping they didn't ground the plane I was supposed to fly on."
Some of Boeing's airline customers joined the chorus affirming support for the plane. United Airlines, the only U.S. carrier whose fleet includes the 787, said it has confidence in the airliner and will continue to operate its six 787s as scheduled. Air India said it planned no changes. LOT, the Polish airline, said that it has conducted a series of reviews of all systems in both its Boeing 787s. "All the tests were completed positively - the systems are efficient and work well," the airline said.
The FAA's decision to conduct a comprehensive review of the 787 is fairly remarkable but was necessary to reassure the public, airline analysts said.
"Most likely, you're looking a manufacturing issue that will change as they learn to build the aircraft, but there's also the possibility that some systems might need tweaking," said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va. "Either way, we're not looking at anything that undermines the aircraft's long-term prospects, just something that creates a large number of upfront headaches for Boeing and its customers."
Boeing has delivered 50 of the 787s, starting in late 2011, and has orders for nearly 800 more. To get through the backlog, Boeing is ramping up production to build 10 787s per month in Washington state and South Carolina by the end of the year. Boeing also said Friday it will open a third factory the Salt Lake City area to fabricate a tail piece for the plane.
By comparison, it builds more than one 737, Boeing's best-seller, every day.
The company said in November that it had begun making five 787s per month. But if any major manufacturing changes are needed to fix the problems, it could fall further behind in deliveries.
Carter Leake, an analyst who follows the industry for BB&T Capital Markets, said the broad review raises the chances that the FAA will find other things to scrutinize at Boeing. "You are more exposed than normal to something else being opened up," he said.
But he said Boeing is unlikely to slow down production, even if it ends up having to change the way part of the plane is built.
Huerta and LaHood rejected the notion that FAA may have not have been vigilant enough when it certified the 787 for commercial operations. LaHood noted that FAA technical experts logged some 200,000 hours on testing and reviewing the plane's design before it was certified in August 2011.
Boeing first applied to make the 787 in 2003. The first one flew in December 2009, and six test planes ran up some 4,645 flight hours. About a quarter of those hours were flown by FAA flight test crews, the agency said in 2011.
The battery that burned on Monday is used to start the plane's auxiliary power unit, a small engine in the back of the plane that that acts as a generator to provide power on the ground, or if the jet engines quit. Other planes use hot air from the outside to start the APU. But one of the fuel-saving designs in the 787 was to get rid of the hot air system used by other planes, so its APU is started with electricity.
Lithium-ion batteries are potentially more susceptible to fire because, unlike other aircraft batteries, the liquid inside of them is flammable. The potential for fire increases if the battery is depleted too much or overcharged. Boeing has built in special circuitry and other safeguards designed to prevent that situation.
The review also raises questions about the 787's ability to win approval to fly extremely long distances away from airports. That's a big issue, since the 787's long range is one of its main selling points. Regulators want to know that long-range planes are safe to fly even if the nearest airport is more than an hour away. Such certification is important for flights across the Pacific, or over the North Pole, the route used for many flights between North America and Asia.
The 787 already has approval for flights up to three hours away from the nearest airport. It has met the flight test requirements to go up to 5.5 hours away but doesn't have permission yet because of a rule change by the FAA, said 787 chief engineer Mike Sinnett on Wednesday.
Boeing's 777 won such approval in December 2011.
___
Freed reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Scott Mayerowitz in New York, Manuel Valdes in Seattle and Paul Foy in Salt Lake City contributed.
Despite the incidents, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared, "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.
On Friday, 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.
Q&A: Why Boeing's dream plane is causing headaches
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 Friday, 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.
There is no obvious trend or similarity to the problems, which suggests they are more likely the result of quality control than a design flaw, aviation safety experts said.
"These appear to be isolated incidents," said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member. However, the battery fire remains a special concern because "they overheat or burn with such intensity, at such high temperatures, they can cause damage to the surrounding aircraft structure," he said.
Boeing has insisted that 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 is well-liked by airlines.
"Every new commercial aircraft has issues as it enters service," said Ray Conner, the president and CEO of Boeing's commercial aircraft division, who joined Huerta and LaHood at a Washington news conference.
Passenger Adam Welch in Seattle agreed. He had picked an All Nippon Airways flight to Korea specifically because it would be on the 787.
"I'm expecting it to be more comfortable. I'm very interested in experiencing the 787," said Welch. "I've been listening to the stories this morning and I was just hoping they didn't ground the plane I was supposed to fly on."
Some of Boeing's airline customers joined the chorus affirming support for the plane. United Airlines, the only U.S. carrier whose fleet includes the 787, said it has confidence in the airliner and will continue to operate its six 787s as scheduled. Air India said it planned no changes. LOT, the Polish airline, said that it has conducted a series of reviews of all systems in both its Boeing 787s. "All the tests were completed positively - the systems are efficient and work well," the airline said.
The FAA's decision to conduct a comprehensive review of the 787 is fairly remarkable but was necessary to reassure the public, airline analysts said.
"Most likely, you're looking a manufacturing issue that will change as they learn to build the aircraft, but there's also the possibility that some systems might need tweaking," said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va. "Either way, we're not looking at anything that undermines the aircraft's long-term prospects, just something that creates a large number of upfront headaches for Boeing and its customers."
Boeing has delivered 50 of the 787s, starting in late 2011, and has orders for nearly 800 more. To get through the backlog, Boeing is ramping up production to build 10 787s per month in Washington state and South Carolina by the end of the year. Boeing also said Friday it will open a third factory the Salt Lake City area to fabricate a tail piece for the plane.
By comparison, it builds more than one 737, Boeing's best-seller, every day.
The company said in November that it had begun making five 787s per month. But if any major manufacturing changes are needed to fix the problems, it could fall further behind in deliveries.
Carter Leake, an analyst who follows the industry for BB&T Capital Markets, said the broad review raises the chances that the FAA will find other things to scrutinize at Boeing. "You are more exposed than normal to something else being opened up," he said.
But he said Boeing is unlikely to slow down production, even if it ends up having to change the way part of the plane is built.
Huerta and LaHood rejected the notion that FAA may have not have been vigilant enough when it certified the 787 for commercial operations. LaHood noted that FAA technical experts logged some 200,000 hours on testing and reviewing the plane's design before it was certified in August 2011.
Boeing first applied to make the 787 in 2003. The first one flew in December 2009, and six test planes ran up some 4,645 flight hours. About a quarter of those hours were flown by FAA flight test crews, the agency said in 2011.
The battery that burned on Monday is used to start the plane's auxiliary power unit, a small engine in the back of the plane that that acts as a generator to provide power on the ground, or if the jet engines quit. Other planes use hot air from the outside to start the APU. But one of the fuel-saving designs in the 787 was to get rid of the hot air system used by other planes, so its APU is started with electricity.
Lithium-ion batteries are potentially more susceptible to fire because, unlike other aircraft batteries, the liquid inside of them is flammable. The potential for fire increases if the battery is depleted too much or overcharged. Boeing has built in special circuitry and other safeguards designed to prevent that situation.
The review also raises questions about the 787's ability to win approval to fly extremely long distances away from airports. That's a big issue, since the 787's long range is one of its main selling points. Regulators want to know that long-range planes are safe to fly even if the nearest airport is more than an hour away. Such certification is important for flights across the Pacific, or over the North Pole, the route used for many flights between North America and Asia.
The 787 already has approval for flights up to three hours away from the nearest airport. It has met the flight test requirements to go up to 5.5 hours away but doesn't have permission yet because of a rule change by the FAA, said 787 chief engineer Mike Sinnett on Wednesday.
Boeing's 777 won such approval in December 2011.
___
Freed reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Scott Mayerowitz in New York, Manuel Valdes in Seattle and Paul Foy in Salt Lake City contributed.
there have been 101 flight cancellations in the US in the last 24hours why don't we get to hear about those.... there is lot of technology is this aircraft and the engineering is all sound . parts break and that is why every system has at least one back up . I tested aircraft systems for 18 years on new planes . look back at both company A (Airbus) and company B . New planes when they reach service find "New model" weaknesses . 1988... "747-400" search back and you will find articles similar to this one.. A340 from company A . yep.... had issues too
I wonder if they could make a bigger deal out of something so minor? 20 years ago there could have been 15 electrical fires in a week and nobody would have ever known.
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All planes of all models have many, many failures of some sort everyday. They are just making a big deal out of this because the 787 is a new model.
Funny, the only 787 that hasn't had problems was the one built in Everett. All the others made in SC have had issues. Guess all that low-cost uneducated non-union labor isn't worth it, huh Boeing?
 @NWCoin You are a moron. Every plane mentioned in this article WAS built in Everett. So far the only planes delivered from SC are Air India. Are you always a fool or do you just act that way online?
I would not fly in anything that Boeing makes because of poor manufacturing . From what I gathered from working there allot of the issues stem from a very poor workforce from all levels these folks are a mess any other company would be bankrupt because they only have airbus its hard for them to go under as airlines have limited choice . The upper management doesn't pay attention to the lower management as they run their dept with total irresponsibility . The quality of work scares me QA is a total joke and so is the FAA for not seeing these issues. The long terms won't share their knowledge in fear of losing their edge so they let the new guys flounder around . The person dedicated to help are the laziest going around for the joke of the day . Like most companies they do have some good hard workers Boeing has few in that part . I hate to down talk them but its all true and worse . Discrimination on people with disabilities , favoring foreigners to outsourcing what a company with their eyes close . Who the hell world want to fly in their planes with these guys at the helm . Boeing reminds me of a bunch a school children poking each other and trying to cause trouble with co workers instead of focusing on the work at hand . Grow up guys .
 @boeingsuks 99.7 reliability doesn't sound like poor workmanship to me. Its the attitude of the employees that define a company. It sounds like you were not around long enough to see that a vast majority of all Boeing employees take pride in what they do. Just remember that 99.7 number because the alternate "Airbus" cant compare. Side note: The reason customers don't have any other choice is because no other company in the world can do what we do.... Example: Russia, China, Japan do an internet search of their passenger systems... Do you like what you see?
@boeingsuks So since you don't fly on Boeing aircraft I assume that you are not much of a world traveller. I just flew 14 1/2 hours direct from Seattle to Dubai on a 777, they fly two of those each day every day. Why doesn't  the media report on that.Â
 @boeingsuks I'll make a call to find out if this is a Boeing battery issue. Thanks for the heads up.
@boeingsuks Everything you said is complete BS. Pure and simple. You are a clearly a disgruntled x employee. You probably described yourself.Â
 @boeingsuks When were you laid off or fired?
Classic government department. A "comprehensive review" should have been part of the certification process to begin with. This is just like the FDA approving a drug only to pull it later after the fact. To those of you blaming Boeing and trying to pin it on the fact that some of the work is non-union, get real. No one knows all the facts yet.
We told the Boeing company at least thousand times "NOT TO OFFLOAD JOBS",but
those short-sighted CEOs not listening.....that's why they failed the airlines,they failed
the people....they have to pay for the consequences BIG TIME !!!!
 @scychan "One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact." Mark Twain
Hey, I got an Idea, lets make the planes in Mexico next.!!! more outsourcing!!
Well if the Boeing Company doesn't listen to the people experienced in their aircraft, then I guess they'll have to listen to the Fed's and the FAA....Maybe then and only then they will turn a new leaf!! Stubborn people they are, only to save a buck!
They are actually blessed not to have catastrophe by now mid air!!
BOEING COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS and then GET IT RIGHT!! FRICKEN LISTEN!
Hope for our region that this is resolved quickly.Â
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Wonder if any of the problems originated in SC where the labor is cheap? Â ;)
 @seattleways NO, its growing pains and all 787s, but believe me even the 737 has issues such as these.  Nothing to do with cheap labor but really SC employees are paid quite well.Â
 @hello  @seattleways Did the 737 have has many issues in the early years? The SC employees may get a good wage but do they have the history of building planes like we do here? Just asking
What the heck, someone really has it in for Boeing, must be the news media. The things that have happened lately are normal things that happen every day. The news media need to come up with something different to pick on. Maybe they are being paid by Airbus to create bad news for Boeing?
 @darkhelmet total agree 100%
 @hello  @darkhelmet What kind of logic is that? A brand new plane catches fire, that is big news no matter which side of the ocean you are on. Hell back in the 50's a British airplane manufacture lost everything they had when one of their brand new airplanes failed. Luckily Boeing has more then one plane to rely on.
 @Grumpa  @hello  @darkhelmet Well lets see, the second officer leaves the fuel cross feed on, it over-fills left wing, then fuel goes out the dump valve, sounds like pilot error. The battery overheats, then starts smoking, same type of battery in your cell phone, you know the one that can start fire for no apparent reason. What you are not hearing too much about is the major wing cracks in the Airbus 380 or failure of their engines during flight.
 @123456789 Except that at 35,000 feet, that is more than a minor inconvenience........
 @Grumpa  @hello  @darkhelmet No, it really isn't. This happens every single day on airplanes. Planes can malfunction just like your laptop, your car, and everything else.Â