FAA Grounds Boeing’s Dreamliners After Emergency Landing

An ANA 787 landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in 2012. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the grounding of any Boeing 787 Dreamliner registered in the United States until it is proven that the lithium-ion batteries used aboard the composite airliners are safe.

The move, made late Wednesday, came the same day that two Japanese airlines grounded their Dreamliners after an overheated battery aboard an All Nippon Airways flight forced pilots to make an emergency landing. It was the second significant issue involving the batteries on the Dreamliner in the past week, and suggests electrical problems with the all-new composite airliner could run deeper than first believed.

“As a result of an in-flight, Boeing 787 battery incident earlier today in Japan, the FAA will issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations,” the FAA said.  “Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe.”

The FAA’s decision followed a decision by ANA and Japan Airliners to ground their planes pending investigations. The two airlines account for 24 of the 50 Dreamliners that Boeing has delivered thus far. United Airlines is the only U.S. airline flying the plane, according to the FAA; it has six in service. There was no immediate comment from United.

So sweeping an action by the two airlines and the FAA indicates Boeing may be facing a more serious issue than the routine glitches experienced with all new airliners.

“The FAA will work with the manufacturer and carriers to develop a corrective action plan to allow the U.S. 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible,” the agency said.

The latest problem occurred aboard ANA Flight 692, a domestic flight bound for Tokyo, when a warning in the cockpit indicated a problem with a battery and the pilots reported smelling smoke. The plane landed safely at Takamatsu airport in western Japan; the 137 passengers and crew evacuated via emergency slides. Fire crews found no evidence of a fire, according to Japanese television station NHK. ANA immediately grounded its fleet of 17 Dreamliners; Japan Airlines then idled its seven Dreamliners.

“There was a battery alert in the cockpit and there was an odd smell detected in the cockpit and cabin, and (the pilot) decided to make an emergency landing,” ANA’s Vice President Osamu Shinobe said at a news conference in which he bowed deeply in apology, according to Reuters.

In a statement, the airline said the battery was discolored and there were signs of leakage. Boeing says it is working with ANA to investigate the problem — which the Japan transportation ministry designated “a serious incident” — but would not elaborate. Japan’s Transport Safety Board sent a team to investigate, according to the Wall Street Journal. The United States’ National Transportation Safety Board is also sending an investigator.

“The battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke on two Model 787 airplanes,” the FAA said. “The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire in the electrical compartment.”

Still, ANA, which was Boeing’s launch customer for the airliner, is standing by the plane. Company chief executive Shinichiro Ito told reporters the problems will not affect ANA’s business strategy, which revolves around the fuel-efficient, long-haul aircraft, the Journal reported.

“We are not in a situation where we should change the strategy we have been pursuing,” Ito said after meeting transport minister Akihiro Ota.

It was the second battery incident involving a Dreamliner since January 7, when a Japan Airlines 787 had a battery fire at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Another JAL flight returned to the gate last week at Logan because of a fuel leak. No one has been injured in any of the incidents.

Taken individually, the problems could be considered among the “teething pains” airlines often experience with new airliners. Taken together, however, the create a major challenge for Boeing as it scrambles to understand the issue while assuring customers and the public that the Dreamliner is safe.

“I think you’re nearing the tipping point where they need to regard this as a serious crisis,” Richard Aboulafia, a senior analyst with the Teal Group, told Reuters. “This is going to change people’s perception of the aircraft if they don’t act quickly.”

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it will conduct a comprehensive review of the 787′s design and production, with a focus on the electrical problems. As of Tuesday night, the FAA was monitoring events in Japan and said the incident there will be included in its review.

The electrical system is one of the key innovations on Boeing’s new 787. The airplane uses much more electrical power for a much wider range of systems than previously used on airliners. Each plane has two lithium ion batteries on board, each about the size of a small microwave. Last week’s fire in Boston involved the battery at the rear of the airplane. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the fire and released photos of the burned battery Monday. The second lithium ion battery is at the front of the plane.

The 787 is the first Boeing jet to use lithium ion batteries. They were chosen for their energy capacity and because they can be quickly recharged. There has in the past been some concern about using that chemistry in aircraft, and the FAA did direct owners of a small jet made by Cessna to swap out their lithium ion batteries in 2011. Boeing said last week that it remains confident it made the right choice, and there are redundant safety systems in place to prevent malfunctions, including a fire, from affecting other systems.

In a press release from 2005, 787 electrical system supplier Thales touted the Japanese-made batteries (.pdf). A company manager noted they are maintenance-free and offer long service life, which “makes for lower operating costs and increased safety for airline companies.”

After last week’s battery fire and other issues, Boeing, the FAA and several airlines (including ANA and JAL) all expressed confidence in the new airliner. Even Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said he had complete confidence in the airplane and would have no hesitation flying on board a Dreamliner.

“These planes are safe” he told reporters.

Boeing added that the new 787 has had a similar dispatch rate in its first year as the company’s last new airplane, the 777. Indeed the 777 experienced some problems early in its service as has the new Airbus A380. But this week’s grounding will affect the Dreamliner’s reliability rate and poses many challenges for Boeing as it tries to reassure the public that its flagship is indeed safe.

Just hours before the emergency landing in Japan, Boeing vice president Randy Tinseth added a story to his blog trying to deflect some of the recent bad news about the airplane with stories from satisfied customers in Norway, Poland, Ethiopia and Qatar. Even ANA’s chairman of the board is quoted saying, “we believe in this aircraft” after announcing a new route connecting Tokyo and San Jose.

A fire on board a 787 during flight testing forced an emergency landing back in 2010. That fire was traced to a piece of debris that had been dropped in an electrical bay.

This story was updated at 6:41 p.m. after the FAA announced its emergency airworthiness directive.