Boeing’s Dreamliner catches fire in Boston

Monday, 08 Jan, 2013 0

A fire has broken out on a Japan Airlines Dreamliner 787 in the latest mechanical problem for Boeing’s new aircraft.

A battery found in the underbelly of the plane overheated and caught fire while parked at Logan International airport, Boston, filling the cabin with heavy smoke.

Passengers has just left the plane 15 minutes before the blaze broke out following a flight from Toyko.

It is the latest problem for Dreamliner after production delays and other technical problems.

"Smoke was initially discovered by maintenance staff in the rear end of the cabin, and confirmed by another maintenance staff who also detected smoke outside the aircraft," Carol Anderson a spokeswoman for Japan Airlines said told the BBC.

Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said, ‘We are aware of the event and are working with our customer.’

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending an investigator to look into the incident.

The 787 relies heavily on electrical power to drive onboard systems that in other jet models are run by air pressure generated by the engines.

There were three other mechanical hiccups with Dreamliners in December.

A United Airlines flight from Houston to Newark, New Jersey, made an emergency landing after it appeared that one of its power generators failed on December 4.

Qatar Airways said it had grounded one of its three 787 jets because of the same problem United had experienced on December 13.

United said that a second 787 in its fleet had developed electrical issues on December 17.

In 2007, Dan Rather reported that analysts he interviewed (including an engineer who had recently been fired by Boeing) said the Dreamliner was unsafe and that its carbon fiber frame would emit poisonous fumes if ignited.

There are currently 13 Dreamliners in service.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in a television interview that these problems were "normal squawks" that happen whenever new planes are put into service, see previous story.

–TravelMole UK with Gretchen Kelly, TravelMole US/North America

below social share icons

Gretchen Kelly

For over 18 years and over 106 completed events, the Travel & Adventure Show has connected over 2.5 million travel...

Jet2.com is the UK’s third largest airline, flying from ten UK airports to more than 60 destinations across Europe and beyond....

Consisting of the three Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island as well as Newfoundland and...

Ensuring our guests have an unforgettable experience while sailing with us is paramount; however, your health and safety remains our...

Travel Outlook, the premier hotel call center™ Travel Outlook is an innovative, custom off-site central reservations office (CRO) service that...

Palladium Hotel Group is a renowned Spanish hotel chain that first emerged towards the end of the 1960s. Currently present...

Why Avalon Waterways: Happiness flows on an Avalon river cruise. From Asia to South America and Europe to the Nile,...

Queensland – where it’s rude not to stare Here in Queensland, there’s plenty to do. But there’s even more to...

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 22 world-class brands comprising nearly 7,300 properties and more than 1.1 million rooms, in...

Babble is a leading technology business that is reimagining how we do work. Founded in 2001, the company works with...

With long periods of Thailand’s History, according to evidences and studies, Sukhothai was the first kingdom of Thailand. At that time, an early Thai...