Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Boeing Dreamliner fire: Just a bunch of smoke?

Stephen Beard Jan 8, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Boeing Dreamliner fire: Just a bunch of smoke?

Stephen Beard Jan 8, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Boeing has suffered another setback with its new Dreamliner 787  aircraft.  A fire broke out on a Japan Airlines plane after it landed  in Boston, following a flight from Tokyo. The fire, which started after passengers and crew had disembarked, is believed to have been caused by an overheated battery in the jet’s auxiliary power  system.

This is the latest in a series of technical problems for the Dreamliner. Last year, a United Airlines flight was forced to make  an emergency landing because of an electrical fault. Qatar Airways grounded one of its 787’s for the same reason. And the U.S. aviation regulator has identified errors in the plane’s fuel line coupling.

Laurie Price of consulting firm Mott MacDonald says the latest fire is a major blow for Boeing but not entirely unexpected:

“Most new aircraft coming in will have some teething problems at some stage during the introductory phase and we’re still in that phase with this aircraft,” says Price.

At least one other Dreamliner flight from Japan to the U.S.  is reported to have been cancelled today.

 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.