Etudiant,
Did it take half an hour to extinguish the fire? It seems the fire department would have been confronted with a battery with smoke pouring out its seams. Did they really try to extinguish the fire contained within the battery housing or did it take half an hour to burn itself out? What danger did this smoke pose to the structure or the critical systems? Would this smoke be life threatening to the passengers or crew? From what I have read in this forum the smoke would not have entered the cabin while in flight. There was a smell of smoke while on the ground but it did not seem life threatening. I have not read anything that clarifies these points. I don’t expect I will find anything until after the full investigation is completed.
RR_NDB,
The quotes you refer to sound very bad. Do you think all planes with Lithium ion batteries should be grounded?
I’m not trying to say the planes should not have been grounded. I am a strong believer in engineering that is robust and a little conservative and having the advantage of hind sight I think nicads should be used. However I try not to think I know better than Boeing. Perhaps they have done it right? In any case with all the drama that has been generated I think Boeing will be forced to get rid of the Li batteries even if they do meet all the safety requirements.
Last edited by Cool Guys; 21st Jan 2013 at 03:48.