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| F.A.A. to Begin a Review of Boeing 787s | F.A.A. to Begin a Review of Boeing 787s |
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| Federal authorities on Friday ordered a comprehensive review of electrical systems in Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner following a spate of incidents, including a battery fire earlier this week in Boston, 15 months after the technologically advanced aircraft came into service. | |
| The Federal Aviation Administration, in an unusual high-priority review, said it would focus on how the 787 was designed, manufactured and assembled. Michael P. Huerta, the F.A.A.’s administrator, said the agency would take a special look at the airplane’s electrical systems, including batteries and power distribution, and how they interact with each other. | |
| The F.A.A. had spent 200,000 hours reviewing the 787 before certifying it for passenger flights, and officials have repeatedly expressed confidence in the safety of the airplane. Still, officials said, the incidents of the past week involving electric components were forcing the review of the certification process as well as Boeing assembly standards. | |
| “We are concerned about recent events involving the Boeing 787,” Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, said at a news conference in Washington. “We will look for the root causes of the recent events and do everything we can to ensure these events don’t happen again.” | “We are concerned about recent events involving the Boeing 787,” Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, said at a news conference in Washington. “We will look for the root causes of the recent events and do everything we can to ensure these events don’t happen again.” |
| The review came as the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating why a battery pack caught fire in a parked 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston on Monday. The fire occurred in a Japan Airlines plane from Tokyo after the passengers and crew had left the plane. | The review came as the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating why a battery pack caught fire in a parked 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston on Monday. The fire occurred in a Japan Airlines plane from Tokyo after the passengers and crew had left the plane. |
| The battery, which powers the auxiliary power unit used when the plane is on the ground, sustained “severe fire damage,” according to the safety board. It took firefighters 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze, the safety board said. One firefighter was injured. | The battery, which powers the auxiliary power unit used when the plane is on the ground, sustained “severe fire damage,” according to the safety board. It took firefighters 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze, the safety board said. One firefighter was injured. |
| The F.A.A. review will not require the grounding of the 787 fleet, officials said. Boeing has delivered 50 of the airplanes since the first commercial flight in November 2011 and has received orders for more than 800. | The F.A.A. review will not require the grounding of the 787 fleet, officials said. Boeing has delivered 50 of the airplanes since the first commercial flight in November 2011 and has received orders for more than 800. |
| Eight airlines now fly the 787: All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines in Japan, Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Chile’s LAN Airlines, Poland’s LOT, Qatar Airways and United Airlines. | Eight airlines now fly the 787: All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines in Japan, Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Chile’s LAN Airlines, Poland’s LOT, Qatar Airways and United Airlines. |
| Boeing has much riding on the 787, which makes extensive use of lightweight carbon composites and packs more electric systems than older planes. The company’s chairman, Jim McNerney, said on Friday that it was “100 percent behind the integrity of the 787.” | |
| The 787 is the first new airplane to be certified in the United States since the Boeing 777 in 1995. | |
| “Every new commercial airplane has issues when it enters service,” said Raymond L. Conner, the head of Boeing’s commercial airplane division. Boeing will work closely with the F.A.A. during the review, he said. | |
| It is uncommon for the F.A.A. to open a review of an airplane it has already certified, but the action on Friday pointed to increased concern by regulators. | It is uncommon for the F.A.A. to open a review of an airplane it has already certified, but the action on Friday pointed to increased concern by regulators. |
| The 787 relies more on electronics than previous generations of airplanes. Electrical systems, not mechanical ones, operate hydraulic pumps, de-ice the wings, pressurize the cabin and handle other tasks. The plane also has electric brakes instead of hydraulic ones. | |
| This electric architecture helps cut energy consumption and makes the aircraft more efficient to operate. But by making such extensive use of electrical systems, Boeing introduced a higher level of complexity in the production of the plane, contributing to more than three years of delays. | This electric architecture helps cut energy consumption and makes the aircraft more efficient to operate. But by making such extensive use of electrical systems, Boeing introduced a higher level of complexity in the production of the plane, contributing to more than three years of delays. |
| Since much was new with the airplane, the F.A.A. and Boeing developed new certification standards. The agency also granted Boeing the authority to self-certify some of its work. Mr. Huerta defended that approach on Friday, saying the process had been rigorous. | Since much was new with the airplane, the F.A.A. and Boeing developed new certification standards. The agency also granted Boeing the authority to self-certify some of its work. Mr. Huerta defended that approach on Friday, saying the process had been rigorous. |
| Still, he said, the “the focus will be on validating the work done in the certification process and ensuring certification standards set are being met in the manufacturing process.” | Still, he said, the “the focus will be on validating the work done in the certification process and ensuring certification standards set are being met in the manufacturing process.” |
| “There is nothing in the data that suggests the plane is not safe,” he added. | “There is nothing in the data that suggests the plane is not safe,” he added. |
| With the current focus on the 787’s problems, every incident, however small, is getting oversize attention, hurting Boeing’s reputation and potentially hurting the public’s confidence in the airplane. Boeing stock has fallen this week in the wake of the string of high-profile incidents. On Friday, shares fell another 2.7 percent, to $75.03, in afternoon trading. | |
| Earlier on Friday, All Nippon Airlines of Japan reported cracks in the cockpit window of a 787 Dreamliner heading from Tokyo to Matsuyama, the third time that cracks had appeared in the windshield of one of the 17 787s operated by the airline. | Earlier on Friday, All Nippon Airlines of Japan reported cracks in the cockpit window of a 787 Dreamliner heading from Tokyo to Matsuyama, the third time that cracks had appeared in the windshield of one of the 17 787s operated by the airline. |
| The cracks were on the outermost of five layers that compose the cockpit windshield and did not endanger the aircraft, said Megumi Tezuka, a company spokeswoman. | The cracks were on the outermost of five layers that compose the cockpit windshield and did not endanger the aircraft, said Megumi Tezuka, a company spokeswoman. |
| Moreover, she said, cracks of this kind are not unique to the 787 Dreamliner; cracks have appeared in other aircraft types operated by All Nippon from time to time. | Moreover, she said, cracks of this kind are not unique to the 787 Dreamliner; cracks have appeared in other aircraft types operated by All Nippon from time to time. |
| “We do not see this as a sign of a fundamental problem” with the aircraft, Ms. Tezuka said. | “We do not see this as a sign of a fundamental problem” with the aircraft, Ms. Tezuka said. |
| In a move to quell the damage to the plane’s reputation, Boeing on Wednesday defended its program and said it stood by its engineering and design choices, including the use of lithium-ion batteries like the one that apparently caught fire. | In a move to quell the damage to the plane’s reputation, Boeing on Wednesday defended its program and said it stood by its engineering and design choices, including the use of lithium-ion batteries like the one that apparently caught fire. |
| Boeing pointed out that the plane has multiple layers of redundant systems and emphasized that any new plane program has suffered from glitches in its first few years of production. | Boeing pointed out that the plane has multiple layers of redundant systems and emphasized that any new plane program has suffered from glitches in its first few years of production. |
| So far, airlines that operate the plane have stood by Boeing. After years of waiting for the plane because of production delays, airlines have been eager to fly an airplane that promises significant fuel savings. | So far, airlines that operate the plane have stood by Boeing. After years of waiting for the plane because of production delays, airlines have been eager to fly an airplane that promises significant fuel savings. |
| This week’s events followed incidents with the plane last month. In December, the F.A.A. ordered inspections of fuel line connectors on all 787s, warning of a risk of fuel leaks and fires. That same day, a United Airlines 787 flying from Houston to Newark was diverted to New Orleans after one of its six electric generators failed in midflight. | This week’s events followed incidents with the plane last month. In December, the F.A.A. ordered inspections of fuel line connectors on all 787s, warning of a risk of fuel leaks and fires. That same day, a United Airlines 787 flying from Houston to Newark was diverted to New Orleans after one of its six electric generators failed in midflight. |
| Boeing said this week that those problems were not related to the fire incident in Boston. It traced the problem on the United flight to a defective electric panel. It added that the 787 proved during testing that it could fly for more than five hours with just one of its six electrical generators. | Boeing said this week that those problems were not related to the fire incident in Boston. It traced the problem on the United flight to a defective electric panel. It added that the 787 proved during testing that it could fly for more than five hours with just one of its six electrical generators. |
| Some safety experts agreed that the problems with the 787 pointed more to teething problems than structural faults. But the issues are still an embarrassment for Boeing’s flagship program. The plane maker has said it expects to sell 5,000 787s in the next 20 years. | Some safety experts agreed that the problems with the 787 pointed more to teething problems than structural faults. But the issues are still an embarrassment for Boeing’s flagship program. The plane maker has said it expects to sell 5,000 787s in the next 20 years. |
| In a separate matter, Japan Airlines said that an incident on Tuesday involving a fuel leak on a 787 was because one of four fuel valves connecting two tanks had been left open. This caused fuel to flow into a surge tank near the wing tip and out a vent. The plane was towed back to its gate but eventually left Boston for Tokyo after a delay of nearly four hours. | In a separate matter, Japan Airlines said that an incident on Tuesday involving a fuel leak on a 787 was because one of four fuel valves connecting two tanks had been left open. This caused fuel to flow into a surge tank near the wing tip and out a vent. The plane was towed back to its gate but eventually left Boston for Tokyo after a delay of nearly four hours. |
Bettina Wassener contributed reporting from Hong Kong and Nicola Clark from Paris. | Bettina Wassener contributed reporting from Hong Kong and Nicola Clark from Paris. |