SUMMARY: FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain
Model MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes. This AD requires a one-time
inspection to determine if wires touch the upper surface of the center
upper auxiliary fuel tank and marking the location, if necessary; a
one-time inspection of all wire bundles above the center upper
auxiliary fuel tank for splices and damage; a one-time inspection for
damage to the fuel vapor barrier seal and upper surface of the center
upper auxiliary fuel tank; and corrective actions, if necessary. This
AD also requires installation of nonmetallic barrier/shield sleeving,
new clamps, new attaching hardware, and a new extruded channel. This AD
results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are
issuing this AD to reduce the potential of ignition sources inside fuel
tanks, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result
in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.
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- Boeing | FAA | press release
FAA Will Review Boeing 787 Design and Production
WASHINGTON – In light of a series of recent events, the FAA will conduct a comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly. The purpose of the review is to validate the work conducted during the certification process and further ensure that the aircraft meets the FAA’s high level of safety.“The safety of the traveling public is our top priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This review will help us look at the root causes and do everything we can to safeguard against similar events in the future.”
A team of FAA and Boeing engineers and inspectors wi
ll conduct this joint review, with an emphasis on the aircraft’s electrical power and distribution system. The review will also examine how the electrical and mechanical systems interact with each other.“We are confident that the aircraft is safe.
But we need to have a complete understanding of what is happening,” said FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta. “We are conducting the review to further ensure that the aircraft meets our high safety standards.”The review will be structured to provide a broader view of design, manufacturing and assembly and will not focus exclusively on individual events. The review is expected to begin in Seattle, but may expand to other locations over the course of several months.
FAA technical experts logged 200,000 hours of work during the 787 type certification and flew on numerous test flights. The FAA reviews 787 in-service events as part of our continued operational safety process.
United Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline operating the 787, with six airplanes delivered. The worldwide in-service fleet includes 50 aircraft.
FAA imposing Penalties for Lasers
The FAA released a legal interpretation, which finds that directing a laser beam into an aircraft cockpit could interfere with a flight crew performing its duties while operating an aircraft, a violation of Federal Aviation Regulations. In the past, the FAA has taken enforcement action under this regulation against passengers physically on-board an aircraft who interfere with crewmembers.
Today’s interpretation reflects the fact that pointing a laser at an aircraft from the ground could seriously impair a pilot’s vision and interfere with the flight crew’s ability to safely handle its responsibilities.
The maximum civil penalty the FAA can impose on an individual for violating the FAA’s regulations that prohibit interfering with a flight crew is $11,000 per violation.This year, pilots have reported more than 1,100 incidents nationwide of lasers being pointed at aircraft. Laser event reports have steadily increased since the FAA created a formal reporting system in 2005 to collect information from pilots. Reports rose from nearly 300 in 2005 to 1,527 in 2009 and 2,836 in 2010.
New head of NTSB Aviation Safety
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman announced the selection of John DeLisi as the new Director of the Office of Aviation Safety (OAS). Mr. DeLisi will assume his new position on June 2, 2012 following the retirement of Tom Haueter, the current director.“It gives me great pleasure to announce John’s selection to lead OAS,” said Chairman Hersman. “With more than two decades of outstanding accident investigation experience, John has made significant contributions to safety and to the NTSB. I look forward to continuing to work with him to further improve the safety of air travel.”
DeLisi has been serving as the Deputy Director of OAS since 2007. During his 20 years with the NTSB, he has overseen numerous major investigations, including the January 2009 ditching of US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River and the February 2009 Colgan Air accident in Buffalo, New York.
Beginning as an Aircraft Systems Engineer, DeLisi has been an on-scene investigator for 20 major domestic aviation accidents and 6 international investigations. And later serving as the Chief of the Major Investigations Division for the NTSB, he oversaw the development of more than a dozen other major airline accident investigations, including the investigation of the August 2006 Comair flight 5191 accident in Lexington, Kentucky.
DeLisi is a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and has done graduate work in Engineering Management at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He holds a private pilot certificate.
Haueter, who is retiring after 28 years of Federal service, has served the NTSB as a technical expert in charge of major accidents and as an ambassador for aviation safety all over the world. His portfolio of investigative work has encompassed everything from small general aviation crashes to some of our nation’s largest and most complex accidents involving major air carriers.
Seventh update on JAL Boeing 787 battery fire investigation
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board today released the seventh update on its investigation into the Jan. 7 fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston.The auxiliary power unit battery, manufactured by GS Yuasa, was the original battery delivered with the airplane on December 20, 2012. It is comprised of eight individual cells. All eight cells came from the same manufacturing lot in July 2012. The battery was assembled in September 2012 and installed on the aircraft on October 15, 2012. It was first charged on October 19, 2012.
Examination and testing of an exemplar battery got underway earlier this week at the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center laboratories in West Bethesda, MD. The tests consisted of electrical measurements, mass measurements, and infrared thermal imaging of each cell, with no anomalies noted. The cells are currently undergoing CT scanning to examine their internal condition. In addition, on Thursday, a battery expert from the Department of Energy joined the investigative team to lend his expertise to the ongoing testing and validation work.
In Seattle, NTSB investigators and Boeing engineers examine the type of lithium ion battery used on the Boeing 787 to start the auxillary power unit and to provide backup power for flight critical systems.
NTSB investigators were made aware of reports of prior battery replacements on aircraft in the 787 fleet, early in the investigation. As reported Tuesday, Boeing, a party to the investigation, is providing pertinent fleet information which investigators will review to determine if there is any relevance to the JAL investigation.
An investigative group continued to interpret data from the two digital flight data recorders on the aircraft, and is examining recorded signals to determine if they might yield additional information about the performance of the battery and the operation of the charging system.Next week, the NTSB battery testing team will initiate a non-invasive “soft short“ test of all cells of the exemplar battery. This test will reveal the presence of any high resistance, small or “soft” shorts within a cell. Also, an NTSB investigator will travel to France with the battery contactor from the JAL event battery, for examination at the manufacturer. The battery contactor connects a wiring bundle from the airplane to the battery.
Investigators are continuing their work in Washington and Japan and the team in Seattle continues to observe the FAA-led review of the certification process for the 787 battery system. The flow of information from these observations helps to inform NTSB investigative activity in the US and around the world.
