NTSB Continues to Pursue Cause of Boeing Battery Fire: Update

Safety regulators announce April forum and hearing to examine lithium-ion battery technology, battery systems design and FAA certification.

The National Transportation Safety Board released an interim report packed with technical details about the lithium-ion battery fire on the JAL plane parked at Boston's Logan Airport.

U.S. safety regulators are still seeking what exactly caused a battery fire on a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 plane, according to an update on their investigation released Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board released an interim report packed with technical details about the lithium-ion battery fire on the JAL plane parked at Boston's Logan Airport.

But the report on the initial findings of the NTSB investigation offered no pinpointed cause of the fire that contributed to the global grounding of 787s almost two months ago.

"The NTSB's investigation into the probable cause of the 787 battery fire at BOS is continuing. The NTSB is also continuing to review the design, certification, and manufacturing processes for the 787 lithium-ion battery system," the independent government agency said in the report.

In its last briefing a month ago, the NTSB identified a short circuit on a single cell in the eight-cell JAL battery that had sparked overheating.

Another burned battery incident, on an All Nippon Airways 787 that was forced into an emergency landing in Japan, led regulators to ground all 50 787s in use in mid-January.

Please or Register to post comments.

Subscribe to IW Newsletters

IW Marketplace - Buy a Link Now