In a webcast from Japan early Friday (late Thursday in the United States), Boeing briefed the world on the causes and FAA-approved solutions to the battery incidents that had occurred at Boston Logan Airport in Massachusetts and Takamatsu Airport in Western Japan which have ground the 787 fleet since mid-January.
Click Here to Read the Boeing 787 Presentation
In a thorough PowerPoint presentation given by Mike Sinnitt, VP and Chief Project Engineer of the 787 program, Boeing heavily emphasized their commitment to safety, thoroughly covered all aspects of the role that the battery plays on the 787, and discussed what caused the two incidents. Sinnitt also explained several misconceptions about the incident as well as the overall electrical system. Boeing’s solution, which has been approved by the FAA for testing, includes modification to the battery and the addition of a strong, stainless steal enclosure. Boeing says these modifications will help ensure the prevention of malfunction, and remove the chance of danger to the aircraft should another malfunction occur.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner said that, pending FAA approval, the aircraft could be back into operation in a matter of weeks.
Since the details can get a little technical, we recommend checking out the PowerPoint presentation yourself (see link at top of page). Pages twelve through fifteen discuss the fix in slightly more detail than Boeing provided earlier this week when announcing FAA approval for testing the fix. A number of questions are still outstanding however, and Boeing executives faced a harsh press core during the Q&A. Ultimately, however, Boeing remained confident that the fix will in fact solve the Dreamliners problems.
Watch the following video to learn the details of the specific changes to the battery.
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