U.S. safety regulators announced Tuesday an investigation into an engine failure on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during testing last weekend in South Carolina.
Boeing (IW 500/16) revealed Sunday there had been an "engine issue" in runway testing and said it was "working closely" with the National Transportation Safety Board on the matter.
The NTSB, in a statement Tuesday, said it was "investigating an engine failure that occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a taxi test in Charleston."
NTSB said it would send aircraft powerplants expert and a metallurgist to a GE facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, to dismantle the engine.
The Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and General Electric (IW 500/5), the engine manufacturer, are participating in the investigation, it said.
The debris-spewing engine reportedly caused a brush fire at the Charleston International Airport that disrupted operations.
There were no passengers aboard the aircraft, nor were there any fatalities or injuries, the NTSB said.
According to the agency, it was notified by Boeing and GE on Saturday that that a Boeing 787 experienced an engine failure during a pre-delivery taxi test.
An NTSB aviation investigator arrived on the scene Sunday to gather information and as a result, the NTSB said it had decided to conduct an investigation.
The incident was the latest trouble for the Chicago-based aerospace giant's much-delayed 787, a new fuel-efficient plane made mainly of composite materials.
Japanese launch customer All Nippon Airways received its first 787 in September 2011, three years behind schedule.
On July 23 ANA said it was having five 787 Dreamliner jets repaired for a Rolls-Royce engine defect.
The Japanese carrier grounded the planes following an announcement the previous week by Rolls-Royce about a problem in the engine's gearbox.
In February, Boeing said around 55 of its flagship Dreamliners were at risk of developing a fuselage problem.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012
