All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have grounded their fleets of Boeing 787 Dreamliners – 17 and seven aircraft respectively – after ANA flight 692, with 129 passengers, made an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport in Japan earlier today following a battery alarm signal activated on the aircraft.
Officials said that one alarm indicated smoke in a forward electrical compartment and those on board reported a burning smell in the cabin.
US Investigations
This is the latest of several incidents involving the Dreamliner over the past four months, including reports of an oil leak, a fuel leak, engine cracks, and a damaged cockpit window.
The US Federal Aviation Administration, which launched its own examination last Friday, said that it was monitoring the ANA emergency landing report. “The incident will be included in the comprehensive review the FAA began last week of the 787 critical systems, including design, manufacture and assembly,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the US National Transportation Safety Board is continuing its investigation of a burned battery involved in the 7th January fire aboard a Japan Airlines B787 at Logan International Airport in Boston. The fire broke out in the avionics compartment of an empty Dreamliner soon after it had arrived and passengers had disembarked. This week the NTSB released photos that showed charred parts and wire bundles.
After production delays, Dreamliners entered service in 2011 and 50 have already been delivered to airlines and, according to Boeing, there are more than 150 Dreamliner flights daily.
