FAA Grounds U.S.-Registered Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S. has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and requires operators to temporarily cease operations.

Before further flights are permitted by the FAA, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe.

The inflight Japanese battery incident on Wednesday, followed an earlier 787 battery incident that occurred on the ground in Boston on 7 January 2013.

The battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke on two 787 airplanes. The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation.

Both JAL, which has 7 Boeing 787-8s, and ANA, which has 17, grounded their Boeing 787-8s on Wednesday.

Last Friday, the FAA announced a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems with the possibility of further action pending new data and information. In addition to the continuing review of the aircraft’s design, manufacture and assembly, the agency will also validate that 787 batteries and the battery system on the aircraft are in compliance with the special condition the agency issued as part of the aircraft’s certification.

United Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline operating the 787, with six airplanes in service.

When the FAA issues an airworthiness directive, it also alerts the international aviation community to the action so other civil aviation authorities can take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their own countries.

Other airlines that operate the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner include: Air India (6), Ethiopian Airlines (4), LAN Airlines Chile (3), Lot Polish Airlines (2) and Qatar Airways (5).

See also: Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner Flight Display and Inside the Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner