The Boeing Dreamliner 787 appears to be turning out to not be much of a dream for anyone at this time. In an article today, Jan. 19, 2013, Joan Lowy has reported on an Associated Press story for ABC News, Overcharging Batteries Eyed in Boeing 787 Fires. Aviation safety and battery experts said on Friday that it's likely that fires on
two Boeing 787 Dreamliners were caused by overcharging lithium ion batteries.
An investigator in Japan, where there was an emergency landing of a 787 earlier this week, has said the charred insides of the plane's lithium ion battery showed that the battery received voltage in excess of its design limits. Japan transport ministry investigator Hideyo Kosugi said there was similarity of the burned battery from the All Nippon Airways flight to the burned battery in a Japan Airlines 787 that caught fire on Jan. 7 while the jet was parked at Boston's Logan International Airport, which suggested a common cause. Kosugi said, "If we compare data from the latest case here and that in the U.S., we can pretty much figure out what happened."
Sky News has also reported on problems with the new Boeing Dreamliner 787, Boeing Dreamliner Deliveries Halted. Boeing has stopped all deliveries of its new 787 Dreamliner jet until safety concerns over the aircraft's battery are resolved. Boeing has said it would continue building the new, lightweight carbon-composite plane, but deliveries to customers were being put on hold until its electrical system was fixed. And America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded the Dreamliners until Boeing can prove that the lithium-ion batteries are safe.
