The ongoing investigation into the problems with the lithium-ion batteries used in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes has led Japan’s Transport Safety Board to discover improper wiring as the potential source. The issues surrounding Boeing’s flagship airplane led to the emergency landing of an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight in January due to smoke, as well as the outbreak of fire on a Japan Airlines (JAL) aircraft a week before in Boston.
According to the Associated Press, the Japanese report said that the airplane’s auxiliary power unit battery was “incorrectly connected” to the main battery, which overheated. However, they wrote that had a protective valve been used, it would have prevent the APU power from doing damage. Unfortunately this doesn’t solve everything, as the Japanese agency says it still needs to conduct further analysis, but it is working with Boeing on the issue.
This is the latest development in the turmoil surround the 787 Dreamliner. The two battery-related incidents on the ANA and JAL aircrafts led directly to a worldwide grounding of the planes, and transportation investigations in numerous countries, including Japan and the U.S. Japan’s two largest carriers, ANA and JAL, have discussed the possibilities of seeking financial compensation from Boeing after the 787 returns to the air, due to the hundreds of cancelled flights and passengers lost.
[via LA Times]