The airplane landed safely and all 137 passengers and crew were evacuated via the emergency slides. Fire crews on the ground found no fire on board the airplane according to Japanese television station NHK. In addition to ANA grounding its airplanes for inspection, Japan Airlines has grounded its fleet of seven Dreamliners as well.
Boeing says they are working with ANA, but did not elaborate any further.
With nearly half of the 50 Dreamliners that have been delivered temporarily out of service, Boeing is facing a more serious issue than expected after last week’s string of incidents, including a battery fire on board a Japan Airlines in Boston. No passengers or crew have been injured in any of the incidents, and individually the problems fall under the “teething pains” often seen with new airliners. But taken together, Boeing is facing a major challenge to assure both its customer airlines and the flying public that the Dreamliner is safe to fly.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday it will be conducting a comprehensive review of the 787′s design and production, with a focus on the electrical problems that have affected a handful of the new composite airliners. As of Tuesday night, the FAA said they are monitoring the events in Japan and that the emergency landing will be included in the review.
The electrical system is one of the big innovations on Boeing’s new 787. The airplane uses much more electrical power for a much wider range of systems than has been used on previous airliners. The airplane 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 back of the airplane. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the fire and released photos of the burned battery on Monday.
The second lithium ion battery is in the front of the airplane and it is likely this was this battery that led to the warning light in the cockpit and smoke forcing the ANA pilots to make an emergency landing on Tuesday.
The 787 is the first Boeing jet to use lithium ion batteries and they were chosen because of their energy capacity and because they can be quickly recharged according to Boeing. There have been concerns in the past over using lithium ion batteries 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 it is confident the lithium ion batteries are the right choice and there are redundant safety systems on the 787 to prevent any issues with the batteries, including a fire, from affecting other aircraft systems.
In a press release from 2005, 787 electrical system supplier Thales touted the Japanese made lithium ion batteries. A company manager noted they are maintenance free and offer long service life, “it makes for lower operating costs and increased safety for airline companies” he said in the press release (.pdf).
After last week’s battery fire and other issues, Boeing, the FAA and several airlines (including ANA and JAL) all expressed their 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 model 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.
