Aviation Week's 'Things with Wings' blog, 6 May
The NTSB has issued
an "urgent" procurement request to have a Maryland company perform computed tomography (CT) scans starting May 6 on as many as 48 Boeing 787 lithium-ion battery cells.
The work signals a rush for the Board to find a root cause for the battery issues that grounded the fleet as airlines begin revenue service with modified 787s this month and into June.
"[The tests] must also be completed within the shortest timeframe possible to provide the fastest possible receipt of this information to avoid potential future accidents involving this type of aircraft battery," says the NTSB in a "sources sought" notice published on May 3.
But wait - there's more.......
Highlighting the continued concern in the aviation industry about lithium-ion battery technology, the NTSB mandated that the contract be issued to a local company, as the cells cannot be shipped via air cargo.
What were Boeing thinking of?? (My bold)
Also. should perhaps mention that the NTSB has since said that the request for the scans
was not meant to signal an acceleration of its efforts to find the root cause of 787 battery problems from January. Rather, the agency says document contained “contracting language” meant to quickly secure funding for the work. The Board is correcting the language in the request, and says there is no new information on the investigation