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| F.A.A. Grounds U.S.-Operated Boeing 787s | F.A.A. Grounds U.S.-Operated Boeing 787s |
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| The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was grounding all Boeing 787s operated by United States carriers until it can determine what caused a new type of battery to catch fire on two planes in nine days. | The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was grounding all Boeing 787s operated by United States carriers until it can determine what caused a new type of battery to catch fire on two planes in nine days. |
| The decision follows incidents involving a plane parked in Boston and one in Japan that was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday morning after an alarm warning of smoke in the cockpit. The problems prompted All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines to voluntarily ground their 787s. | The decision follows incidents involving a plane parked in Boston and one in Japan that was forced to make an emergency landing on Wednesday morning after an alarm warning of smoke in the cockpit. The problems prompted All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines to voluntarily ground their 787s. |
| The F.A.A.’s emergency directive, issued Wednesday night, initially applies to United Airlines, the only American carrier using the new plane so far, with six 787s. But the agency said it expected international regulators would take similar action. That would ground all 50 of the 787s delivered so far. | The F.A.A.’s emergency directive, issued Wednesday night, initially applies to United Airlines, the only American carrier using the new plane so far, with six 787s. But the agency said it expected international regulators would take similar action. That would ground all 50 of the 787s delivered so far. |
| Boeing, based in Chicago, has a lot riding on the 787, and its stock dropped nearly 3.4 percent on Wednesday to $74.34. The company has outlined ambitious plans to double its production rate to 10 planes a month by the end of 2013. It is also starting to build a stretch version and considering an even larger one after that. | |
| “We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity,” Jim McNerney, Boeing’s chief executive, said in a statement. | |
| The grounding — an unusual action for a new plane — focuses on one of the more risky design choices made by Boeing, namely to make extensive use of lithium ion batteries aboard its airplanes for the first time. | |
| Until now, much of the attention on the 787 was focused on its lighter composite materials and more efficient engines, meant to usher in a new era of more fuel-efficient travel, particularly over long distances. The batteries are part of an electrical system that replaces many mechanical and hydraulic ones common in previous jets. | |
| The 787’s problems could jeopardize one of its major features, its ability to fly long distances at a cheaper cost. The plane is certified to fly 180 minutes from an airport. The government is unlikely to extend that to 330 minutes, as Boeing has promised, until all problems with the plane have been resolved. | |
| For Boeing, “it’s crucial to get it right,” said Richard L. Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va. “They’ve got a brief and closing window in which they can convince the public and their flying customers that this is not a problem child.” | For Boeing, “it’s crucial to get it right,” said Richard L. Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va. “They’ve got a brief and closing window in which they can convince the public and their flying customers that this is not a problem child.” |
| The 787 uses two identical lithium-ion batteries, each about one-and-a-half to twice the size of a car battery. One battery, in the rear electrical equipment bay near the wings, is used to start the auxiliary power unit, a small engine in the tail that is used most often to provide power for the plane while it is on the ground. The other battery, called the main battery, starts the pilot’s computer displays and serves as a backup for flight systems. | |
| The maker of the 787’s batteries, Japan’s GS Yuasa, has declined to comment on the problems so far. | The maker of the 787’s batteries, Japan’s GS Yuasa, has declined to comment on the problems so far. |
| Boeing has defended the novel use of the batteries and said it had put in place a series of systems meant to prevent overcharging and overheating. | Boeing has defended the novel use of the batteries and said it had put in place a series of systems meant to prevent overcharging and overheating. |
| In a conference call last week with reporters, Boeing’s chief engineer for the 787, Mike Sinnett, said that the company had long been aware of possible problems with lithium-ion batteries, but it had built numerous redundant features to keep any problems with the batteries from threatening the plane in flight. He said the batteries had not had any problems in 1.3 million hours of flight, and that Boeing was trying to understand what had caused the problems. | In a conference call last week with reporters, Boeing’s chief engineer for the 787, Mike Sinnett, said that the company had long been aware of possible problems with lithium-ion batteries, but it had built numerous redundant features to keep any problems with the batteries from threatening the plane in flight. He said the batteries had not had any problems in 1.3 million hours of flight, and that Boeing was trying to understand what had caused the problems. |
| Mr. Sinnett said that if the lithium-ion batteries started a fire, it would be nearly impossible to put out because the batteries produce oxygen when burning. Mr. Sinnett said that the plane was designed to survive such an event in flight, when the cabin’s air-pressure system protects passengers and allows the plane to vent the smoke outside. The plane is also designed, he said, to contain a fire to a small area. | |
| “Fire suppressants just won’t work on a situation like that,” he said in the conference call. “So something like that is very difficult to put out.” | “Fire suppressants just won’t work on a situation like that,” he said in the conference call. “So something like that is very difficult to put out.” |
| Still, heat from the fire on the plane parked in Boston last week was so extreme that it melted the bolts holding the battery to the equipment rack. Firefighters had to use a hydraulic tool to cut it loose. | Still, heat from the fire on the plane parked in Boston last week was so extreme that it melted the bolts holding the battery to the equipment rack. Firefighters had to use a hydraulic tool to cut it loose. |
| The solutions to the battery problem could be simple, analysts said, like encasing the battery in a stronger shell or monitoring the batteries more closely. But if Boeing had to switch to more conventional nickel-cadmium or lead-acid batteries, they would have to be larger, adding more weight to the plane and cutting into the plane’s fuel-savings potential. | |
| Wednesday’s emergency landing was the latest in a string of incidents for the 787, which also included an electrical failure, fuel leaks and other smaller mishaps. But the latest event raised concerns that the 787’s problems were potentially more serious than thought and led to doubts about the plane’s safety and reliability. | |
| Lithium-ion batteries provide power more quickly than conventional batteries and can be recharged quickly. They are increasingly used in cellphones, computers and electric cars but also have known risks of fires and explosions, particularly if they overheat or overcharge. | Lithium-ion batteries provide power more quickly than conventional batteries and can be recharged quickly. They are increasingly used in cellphones, computers and electric cars but also have known risks of fires and explosions, particularly if they overheat or overcharge. |
| While the federal agency has recognized these hazards, it still decided in 2007 to allow Boeing to use them in the 787 as long as the company took a series of protective measures. At the time, the agency noted that “lithium ion batteries are significantly more susceptible to internal failures that can lead to self-sustaining increases in temperature and pressure” than conventional batteries. | While the federal agency has recognized these hazards, it still decided in 2007 to allow Boeing to use them in the 787 as long as the company took a series of protective measures. At the time, the agency noted that “lithium ion batteries are significantly more susceptible to internal failures that can lead to self-sustaining increases in temperature and pressure” than conventional batteries. |
| As part of Wednesday’s emergency directive, the government said it would “validate that the 787 batteries and the battery system on the aircraft are in compliance with the special condition the agency issued as part of the aircraft’s certification.” | As part of Wednesday’s emergency directive, the government said it would “validate that the 787 batteries and the battery system on the aircraft are in compliance with the special condition the agency issued as part of the aircraft’s certification.” |
| Eight airlines now fly the 787, which entered service in November 2011. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines in Japan own 24 of them. The other operators are Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, LAN Airlines of Chile, LOT of Poland and Qatar Airways. Orders for about 800 additional 787s are in the pipeline. | Eight airlines now fly the 787, which entered service in November 2011. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines in Japan own 24 of them. The other operators are Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, LAN Airlines of Chile, LOT of Poland and Qatar Airways. Orders for about 800 additional 787s are in the pipeline. |
| The airplane’s six power generators produce enough electricity to power 500 houses. By contrast, the Boeing 777, a larger aircraft, can generate only a fifth of the 787’s electric power. | |
| Replacing batteries on the 787 with different ones, like metal hydride batteries, is theoretically possible but would be costly, said Hans J. Weber, the president of Tecop International, an aviation consulting firm. | Replacing batteries on the 787 with different ones, like metal hydride batteries, is theoretically possible but would be costly, said Hans J. Weber, the president of Tecop International, an aviation consulting firm. |
| He estimated that different batteries could double the weight of the current systems and would be twice the size. | He estimated that different batteries could double the weight of the current systems and would be twice the size. |
| “It’s not trivial, but it could be done,” Mr. Weber said. | “It’s not trivial, but it could be done,” Mr. Weber said. |
| Boeing expects to sell 5,000 787s in the next 20 years. It is counting on the Dreamliner in the global sales battle with Airbus, its European rival, which plans to introduce its own carbon-composite plane, the A350, in the second half of 2014. Boeing has said that it outsourced too much of the work on the 787 to suppliers who were willing, collectively, to cover billions of dollars of the development costs, and many parts needed reworking. | Boeing expects to sell 5,000 787s in the next 20 years. It is counting on the Dreamliner in the global sales battle with Airbus, its European rival, which plans to introduce its own carbon-composite plane, the A350, in the second half of 2014. Boeing has said that it outsourced too much of the work on the 787 to suppliers who were willing, collectively, to cover billions of dollars of the development costs, and many parts needed reworking. |
| Boeing has said it expects to average a percentage profit in the low single digits on the first 1,100 planes, which could include deliveries into 2021. But David E. Strauss, an analyst at UBS, cautioned last month that Boeing’s production costs might remain too high for it to make a profit on any of the plane sales before 2021. | |
| While problems are common with the introduction of a new model — including the Airbus A380, the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 747 — analysts say the issue could become a growing embarrassment for Boeing if travelers or airlines begin to lose confidence in the Dreamliner. | While problems are common with the introduction of a new model — including the Airbus A380, the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 747 — analysts say the issue could become a growing embarrassment for Boeing if travelers or airlines begin to lose confidence in the Dreamliner. |
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: |
| Correction: January 16, 2013 | Correction: January 16, 2013 |
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article published online, and an appended correction, misstated the number of Boeing 787s already delivered worldwide. It is 50, not 49. | Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article published online, and an appended correction, misstated the number of Boeing 787s already delivered worldwide. It is 50, not 49. |