Tag Archives: FAA

Dreamliner grounding poised to be lifted

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Dreamliner grounding poised to be lifted

By Phil Davies

Dreamliner grounding poised to be liftedA three-month grounding of Boeing 787 Dreamliners could begin to be lifted as early as today.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is tipped to announce Boeing has demonstrated that the 787’s redesigned batteries are safe.

Regulators have been convinced that various internal enhancements and a new protective metal container will prevent fires and automatically suck smoke or toxic fumes out of the aircraft, theWall Street Journal reported.

Foreign regulators are expected to follow the FAA’s lead. That means many of the fuel-efficient 787s could resume carrying passengers as early as May.

FAA chief Michael Huerta and transportation secretary Ray LaHood are poised to give the green light for Boeing to help airlines retrofit more than 50 Dreamliners.

The 787s were grounded globally in January after lithium-ion batteries burned on a pair of aircraft in little more than a week.

The fixes are expected to take less than a handful of days, but other aircraft testing and refresher training for pilots could stretch into additional weeks.

After the expected announcement, Boeing will issue a service bulletin instructing airlines how to revamp the battery systems, and the FAA will issue a formal safety directive mandating the changes.

Blasts rock finish line at Boston Marathon

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UPDATED: Blasts rock finish line at Boston Marathon

By Danny King

Two explosions near the Boston Marathon finish line killed at least three people and injured more than 100 people Monday afternoon.

The blasts took place at about 2:50 p.m. Eastern time about 200 feet apart on downtown Boston’s Boylston Street. Federal authorities have been brought to the city to lead the investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

“It is a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation,” said FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers in a press conference broadcast Monday evening.

Additionally, a fire or explosion took place at Boston’s John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum at about 4:15 p.m., though the Boston Police Department said that incident may have been a fire and may not have been related to the first two explosions. No one was injured in that incident.

Many of the blocks surrounding the blast site will be on lockdown through at least Tuesday as federal, state and local investigators canvas the area for additional information, while law enforcement will be conducting random searches on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway lines, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said during the press conference.

Both the 212-room Lenox Hotel and the 148-room Mandarin Oriental Boston, which are about a half-block and one block west of the finish line, respectively, were evacuated and closed by the Boston Police Department until further notice.

Mandarin Oriental spokeswoman Danielle DeVoe said that no injuries occurred at that hotel.

Additionally, the Fairmont Copley Plaza, which is about a block-and-a-half east of the explosions, is only letting guests and hotel employees into the building, the 383-room hotel said on its Facebook page.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has restricted air space over downtown Boston.

In Washington, Pennsylvania Avenue in the vicinity of the White House was evacuated and closed to pedestrians and vehicles on Monday afternoon as a precaution.

“We will find out who did this. We’ll find out why they did this,” President Barack Obama said in a briefing. “Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.”

Boeing says Dreamliner test flight ‘went to plan’

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Boeing says Dreamliner test flight ‘went to plan’

Boeing says Dreamliner test flight 'went to plan'

Boeing has said a flight to test the new batteries on the Dreamliner “went to plan”.

All 50 Dreamliners in operation have been grounded and orders delayed following a fire in a battery on a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston on January 7 and an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways aircraft in Japan shortly afterwards when a battery started producing smoke.

A 787 took off at 12:11pm Pacific Time from the airfield at Boeing’s main production plant in Everett, Washington, for the “functional test flight” and returned two hours later.

The aircraft was the first to be fitted with lithium-ion batteries designed to reduce the risk of overheating.

Boeing said it would assess the data and prepare for another test flight to reassure regulators.

The battery redesign plan was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this month.

US transportation secretary Ray LaHood said at the time: “This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the proposed battery improvements will work as designed.”

But he added: “We won’t allow the plane to return to service unless we’re satisfied that the new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.”