Faulty Boeing Maintenance Mars 787′s Return
If
ever there was a weekend for flights to go according to plan, this past
one would’ve been it for Japan Airlines Co. But alas, there was a
hiccup.
Faulty Boeing Maintenance Mars 787′s Return
By Yoree Koh
This past weekend was the first time the Japanese airline resumed regular commercial service of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner after a four-month grounding order. Global aviation regulators prohibited the 50 Dreamliners around the world from flying in mid-January after batteries burned on two 787s operated by Japanese airlines.
Boeing scrambled to get its cutting-edge flagship jet back in the air, developing a comprehensive package of safety improvements to the lithium-ion battery system. While the high-profile grounding is now over, there is increased attention on the planes as they are introduced back into service.
On Sunday, a day after the airline’s Dreamliner flights resumed, one of JAL’s recently repaired 787s experienced a minor problem due to a maintenance oversight. JAL delayed the Beijing-bound flight before ultimately switching aircrafts for the trip.
A JAL spokesman said Boeing workers dispatched to implement the approved safety modifications to the battery system forgot to remove two pieces of tape covering two small holes – roughly the size of the tip of a Sharpie pen. The openings allow for smoother airflow between the inside and outside of the container to help prevent overheating. Because the holes were covered, JAL engineers detected that the air pressure level inside and outside the stainless steel container housing the battery was different.
Under normal circumstances, the incident would be considered less than minor and merit little attention but the incident garnered significant media attention because the timing was so close to its flight resumption.
A JAL spokesman said there was no problem with the battery itself.
He added that the sealed holes would not have posed a safety risk in the event the mistake went undiscovered prior to the flight because a line leading from the battery pack container would release built up heat and pressure outside the aircraft if the system overheated.
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- Associated Press
- Aircraft technicians wave to an All Nippon Airways' 9202.TO -3.76% Boeing 787 plane bound for Frankfurt, the first regular, scheduled flight since the grounding, at Haneda airport in Tokyo on June 1.
A loose nut connecting a wire to the electrical panel had caused the area to overheat and blacken part of the panel during a pilot training flight on May 4. ANA, which also resumed regular 787 scheduled flights on June 1, said Boeing mechanics didn’t sufficiently tighten the nut during an inspection of the switchboard before repairing the aircraft’s battery. The problem was unrelated to the battery and did not pose a safety risk to the modified plane.
An ANA spokeswoman on Monday said that it verified that none of its 19 Dreamliners had issues similar to the one found on JAL’s battery container. ANA received an order from Japan’s Ministry of Transport the previous night to conduct a check in light of Sunday’s incident.
A Boeing spokesman in Tokyo on Monday said that the JAL and ANA incidents are separate issues and that the company will “try to learn from them to make sure they don’t happen again.”
Boeing’s errors come at a sensitive time as it tries to put the drama of the 787 grounding in its rearview mirror. The 787 headaches could in particular lead to painful repercussions in Japan where it has long held a near-monopoly over the country’s biggest fleets. Both JAL and ANA, whose fleets are about 76% and 83% Boeing-made, respectively, have remained largely reliant on the U.S. plane maker even as other global carriers have diversified their purchases to include planes from Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. EAD.FR -2.19%
As both Japanese airlines—the two biggest customers of the 787—begin to shop around for new aircrafts to replace older planes, Boeing’s recent stumbles could open the way for Airbus to grab a bigger slice of the market. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in April, former JAL Chairman Kazuo Inamori said he is urging executives to be fair in considering planes by other makers–such as the Airbus A350 which is set to enter service by late 2014–as it looks to replace the airline’s retiring fleet of Boeing 777s. Boeing is moving to design and build the 777X, the wide-body iteration of its best-selling jetliner, to take on the A350. Meanwhile, ANA CEO Osamu Shinobe has previously said the carrier would consider the A350 as a potential alternative to replace its aging 777s when it begins deliberations.
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