Another Dreamliner forced to turn back
A Japan Airlines Dreamliner was forced to return to Boston airport yesterday after a mechanical indicator alert came on mid flight.
The aircraft, en route to Toyko, was turned back to Logan International airport around five hours after taking off as "precautionary measure."
It is the latest in a series of incidents to hit the Boeing aircraft since it came back into service in May, following a four-month grounding over battery problems.
Last week Thomson was forced to turn back one of its 787s traveling from Manchester to Orlando after experiencing a mid-flight technical issue, and an Ethiopian Airlines 787 caught fire while parked at London Heathrow.
Yesterday, air accident investigators issued two safety recommendations for the Dreamliner following the Heathrow fire, which closed the airport for 90 minutes.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report recommends that an electrical component – the Emergency Locator Transmitter – is switched off on all Boeing 787s until "appropriate airworthiness actions" can be completed.
It has also called on the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulatory authorities to conduct a safety review of the installations of the transmitter systems in other aircraft types, not just the 787, and take action where necessary.
Boeing said it supports the two recommendations.
In January all 50 Dreamliners in operation worldwide were grounded after two separate incidents concerning batteries. They were later allowed to take to the skies again after changes were made.
The AAIB investigation into this latest incident found the fire damage was not near the batteries, but related to the where Emergency Locator Transmitter is fitted.
The AAIB statement said: "Detailed examination of the ELT has shown some indications of disruption to the battery cells. It is not clear however whether the combustion in the area of the ELT was initiated by a release of energy within the batteries or by an external mechanism such as an electrical short."
The report said the incident occurred while the aircraft was parked and empty, but could "pose a significant safety concern and raise challenges for the crew in tackling the fire" if it had occurred in flight.
By Bev Fearis, TravelMole UK
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