A safety report has revealed an overheating Dreamliner battery was enough to melt rock.
"The heat generated by the faulty power unit, which poured out white smoke, hit a searing 660 degrees centigrade – the point at which minerals start to turn molten" according to Sky News.
The details have been revealed in a report by Japan’s transport ministry. The affected Dreamliner was part of the Japan Airlines fleet and the incident happened last month, just before the plane was due to leave for Bangkok.
Sky continued: "According to the report, one of the eight lithium-ion cells in the plane’s battery system ‘swelled and electrolytic solution was sprayed (out)’.
An official said: ‘We estimate that temperatures inside the cell possibly reached 660 Celsius as the aluminium electrode melted.’
It is still not known what caused the battery to overheat and the ministry and Boeing are investigating.
