Boeing 787 Probe Spurs Honeywell Beacon Shutdown, Lithium Checks
By Robert Wall
July 18 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. authorities probing last week’s fire on a Boeing Co. 787 at Heathrow airport said a Honeywell International Inc. beacon installed close to the site of the blaze should be deactivated on all other Dreamliners.
Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch said in a special bulletin that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration should also lead a safety review into lithium battery-powered transmitters on other aircraft models.
Shutting off the Emergency Locator Transmitter system on the Boeing jet is a precautionary measure “until appropriate airworthiness actions can be completed,” the AAIB said.
The July 12 incident on a Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise Dreamliner was the most-serious setback for Boeing’s marquee jet since regulators ordered the global 787 fleet idled for three months following fires linked to lithium-ion batteries. The AAIB hasn’t called for a grounding following the Heathrow event.
“Had this event occurred in flight it could pose a significant concern and raise challenges for the cabin crew in tackling the resulting fire,” the AAIB said today. “The ELT has shown some indications of disruption to the battery cell.”
Overheating of emergency transmitters “is extremely rare” and last week’s incident was the first affecting the Honeywell system, the safety body said.
Smoke Spotted
The AAIB probe, which included Boeing, the airline, and U.S. safety representatives, was broadened to include Honeywell after the beacon made by the Morris Township, New Jersey-based company was isolated as a potential cause of the fire.
The ELTs rely on chemical batteries made of lithium-manganese dioxide to power the beacon even if the plane’s electrical system fails.
Air traffic control personnel spotted smoke coming from the Ethiopian jet, parked and not under power, at 4:34 p.m. local time, with emergency personnel arriving a minute later to extinguish the fire, according to today’s bulletin.
Fire fighters using breathing equipment entered the plane and initially failed to suppress the blaze using Halon devices. They then removed ceiling panels and applied water.
The plane suffered “extensive heat damage” in the rear, including to its composite-plastic fuselage, the AAIB said. The ELT is the only aircraft system in the area, it said. Flight crew had not reported any technical problems with the plane.
Other Dreamliner users from ANA Holdings Inc., the first to operate the jet, to United Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, have maintained 787 services. Ethiopian Airlines has also continued to operate its three other planes.
Boeing had delivered 66 Dreamliners to 11 airlines and a leasing company through June. The Chicago-based planemaker has booked 930 firm orders for the jet, which has a list price of $206.8 million in its cheapest version.