United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Boeing gets FAA nod for Dreamliner test flights
Boeing has been given permission by the FAA to carry out test flights of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
It has been allowed to run test flights "in defined airspace over unpopulated areas" and only after extensive pre-flight testing and inspections.
It is hoped the flights will help collect vital airborne data about the performance of the aircraft’s batteries.
Boeing and its airline customers were ordered to ground the entire fleet of 787s last month after two incidents involving the battery.
In one, a battery on the plane caught fire while another flight was forced to make an emergency landing when the battery malfunctioned.
Meanwhile, The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said the initial tests carried out by Boeing on the Dreamliner batteries missed the high risk of fire.
NTSB head, Deborah Hersman, said initial safety checks and approval were given under the assumption that the lithium-ion batteries would produce smoke less than once in every 10 million flight hours.
But there have already been two battery fires since the 787 entered commercial service, in which time it has only clocked up 100,000 hours of flight-time.
The NTSB said Boeing’s tests also overlooked the fact that overheating in one battery cell could spread to the others, causing a fire.
Both of these issues need to be readdressed, said Hersman.
The NTSB hopes to produce an interim factual report within 30 days, but it will not be a final report.
by Bev Fearis
Gretchen Kelly
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel