First, it does appear that there were two different 787 events at Logan. One was a fire that came about due to overheating and explosion of a battery in a lower bay. Both of the reports below refer to the same event, which grounded the plane. The second event was either a fuel leak or overfueling, which only delayed and did not cancel a different flight four hours while the problem was fixed.

My criticism is that it APPEARS we are moving too quickly because what is surfacing are minor events that could lead to major events. A battery fire could cause a plane crash, especially on a transatlantic flight. I would like to feel confident that Boeing will easily handle any battery or electrical problem as one of those new plane new plane glitches that one might consider teething. And if this problem “dogs” Boeing shares (as one headline indicates), then better that it dog shares than kill 400 people.

Here are the NTSB press releases regarding the Dreamliner Battery Fire. The first one…

NTSB INVESTIGATORS LOOKING INTO BOEING 787 SMOKE EVENT IN BOSTON

Jan. 7, 2013
WASHINGTON– Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are gathering information regarding reports of smoke aboard a Boeing 787 at Boston’s Logan Airport today.

The Japan Airlines 787 was on the ground and empty of passengers at the time of the incident.

The NTSB has dispatched an investigator to Boston. Based on a review of the factual information gathered, the NTSB will determine the extent of its investigation.

and the second one…

NTSB PROVIDES INVESTIGATIVE UPDATE ON BOEING 787 FIRE INCIDENT IN BOSTON

Jan. 8, 2013
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board today released an update on its formal investigation of Monday’s fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston. There were no passengers or crew on board at the time. One firefighter received minor injuries.

In addition to an investigator already on scene who visually inspected the airplane last night, the NTSB has sent two additional investigators to Boston and formed investigative groups to look at airworthiness and fire and airport emergency response. Senior Air Safety Investigator David Helson has been designated as the investigator-in-charge.

Parties to the investigation are the Federal Aviation Administration and The Boeing Company. In addition, the Japan Transport Safety Board has appointed an accredited representative and Japan Airlines will assist the JTSB as technical advisors.

Initial investigative findings include:

• The NTSB investigator on scene found that the auxiliary power unit battery had severe fire damage. Thermal damage to the surrounding structure and components is confined to the area immediately near the APU battery rack (within about 20 inches) in the aft electronics bay.

• Preliminary reports from Japan Airlines representatives indicate that airplane maintenance and cleaning personnel were on the airplane with the APU in operation just prior to the detection of smoke in the cabin and that Boston Logan Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting were contacted.

• Rescue and fire personnel and equipment responded to the airplane and detected a fire in the electronics and equipment bay near the APU battery box. Initial reports indicate that the fire was extinguished about 40 minutes after arrival of the first rescue and fire personnel. One firefighter received minor injuries.

Here is the 2nd NTSB Press Release:

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NTSB Issues Investigative Update into Southwest Flight 345 Accident

The National Transportation Safety Board today released factual information from the July 22 accident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airplane’s front landing gear collapsed on landing.

• Evidence from video and other sources is consistent with the nose-gear making contact with the runway before the main landing gear.

• The flight data recorder on the airplane recorded 1,000 parameters and contained approximately 27 hours of recorded data, including the entire flight from Nashville to New York.

• The cockpit voice recorder contains a two-hour recording of excellent quality that captures the entire flight from Nashville to New York and the accident landing sequence.

• Flaps were set from 30 to 40 degrees about 56 seconds prior to touchdown.

• Altitude was about 32 feet, airspeed was about 134 knots, and pitch attitude was about 2 degrees nose-up approximately 4 seconds prior touchdown.

• At touchdown, the airspeed was approximately 133 knots and the aircraft was pitched down approximately 3 degrees.

• After touchdown, the aircraft came to a stop within approximately 19 seconds.

• A cockpit voice recorder group will convene tomorrow at NTSB laboratories in Washington to transcribe the relevant portion of the accident flight.

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Remembering Air Blue Flight 202
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Remembering Air Blue Flight 202

used
On July 28, 2010, families waited for their loved ones at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. An accident happened, and they never disembarked. That was the day exactly two years ago that 152 people aboard Air Blue flight 202 lost their lives crashing into the Margalla Hills.

There is not much good that can be said of a tragedy like this. The memory is burned like a brand into the hearts of family members, beginning a nightmare of chaos and confusion, of grief and shock that never ends. Some of the families learned right away, might even have heard the impact, saw the smoke, heard the crash. Some of the families were waiting at home, and learned later of their loss. All of them waited for loved ones who would never come home again. Some of them feel like they are still waiting, still listening for a footstep they will never hear again.

They may have heard that the plane had made 13,500 flights. They might have asked themselves why was it not 13,501 flights? Why not 13,499? If the plane had made one more or one fewer flight, their loved ones would not have been aboard. They have asked themselves a thousand questions, wondering what happened in the cockpit, and why. They may have learned terms like CRM (cockpit resource management), which is a way the flight crew is trained to communicate more effectively amongst themselves, leading to better outcomes. The CRM aboard flight 202 was not what it should have been.

They have found that official reports say how something happened. But they do not answer the questions in a human soul asking why their beloved——father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, child——had to die.

Now that two years have passed, the families have had two years to accustom themselves to their loss. Two years seems so long, and yet it is hardly time enough to process a loss that is forever. And while it is true that the accident is the beginning of a tragedy that has no ending, the nightmare does fade.

But this is what I have learned, after seeing so many tragic accidents. It takes time. In the beginning, the families make it through one day at a time. Time helps to ease the pain, and allows family members again learn to feel the sun, and not feel guilty for it; it takes time to learn the survival skill of illuminating the dark with sweet memories without feeling the grief; it takes time to find beauty in the world again. It takes time to relearn how to laugh, and not feel guilty for laughing.

This is the job of the survivors. To continue. To live on. We grow stronger every day. When it comes down to it, we are all survivors. Maybe we have not all lost loved ones in a plane crash, but we have all loved and lost. And this is my message: Our survival is nothing to feel guilty for; it is our responsibility. It is a precious gift. Let us hold tight to the hands that are still here, and share the love. In every new moment of our lives, we do not walk alone. When we see a new sunset or sunrise, when we hear the laughter of a child, when we begin to see the vivid colors of life again, we do not see or feel these things alone. We carry with us the spirits of those we love.

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NTSB Reports on July 15 Flight, Turbulence, Injury

NTSB Identification: DCA10FA076
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 121: Air Carrier operation of DELTA AIRLINES INC
Accident occurred Thursday, July 15, 2010 in
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/29/2011
Aircraft: BOEING 767, registration: N184DN
Injuries: 1 Serious,201 Uninjured.

The NTSB full Narrative:
History of Flight:

On July 15, 2010, at about 0200 UTC, a Boeing 767-332ER, registered in the United States as N184DN and operated by Delta Airlines, encountered turbulence at flight level 360 near TOESS intersection north of Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) Guam. One flight attendant suffered a broken ankle during the turbulence event. The flight had departed GUM at 1125 UTC and landed at Narita International Airport (NRT), its original destination, at 0344 UTC. None of the other 192 passengers or 9 crewmembers were injured. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121, and was on an instrument flight rules flight plan, and flying in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the event.

According to the captain of the flight, at the time of the turbulence encounter he was navigating around scattered cloud build-ups. Nothing was showing on radar, as he adjusted the antenna tilt between -1 and -5 degrees. At that time the seatbelt sign was not illuminated.
According to the injured flight attendant, she was walking down the aisle between the mid galley and the aft galley and fell to the floor at the time of the turbulence encounter.

Injuries:

None of the other 9 crewmembers or the 192 passengers were injured.

Damage to Airplane:

The airplane was not damaged.

Meteorological Information:

According to the operator, no turbulence was forecast for the area in which the airplane was flying at the time of the turbulence encounter. In addition, satellite imagery revealed that the airplane was in an area not conducive to turbulence when the event occurred.

Medical and Pathological Information:

The injured flight attendant was examined by a physician passenger who did not provide a diagnosis. She declined medical treatment upon arrival at Narita and proceeded to her home base of Minneapolis before seeking further medical advice. Upon arrival home, she saw a doctor who stated that her ankle was broken.

Flight Data Recorder:

According to the flight data recorder, the vertical acceleration during the turbulence encounter varied between +1.5 g and -0.3 g. The encounter lasted about 5 seconds.

See Flight Attendant Injured in Clear Air Turbulence

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NTSB Recommendations

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
February 23, 2012

The National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:

Modify the design and test requirements for the attachment points of passenger service units to account for the higher localized loading that results from the relative motion of the attachment structure. (A-12-1)

Require that the installation design for overhead bins and passenger service units (PSU) manufactured by Boeing and installed in Boeing 737NG series airplanes be modified so that the PSUs remain attached to the bins or are captured in a safe manner during survivable accidents. (A-12-2)

Review the designs of manufacturers other than Boeing for overhead bins and passenger service units (PSU) to identify designs with deficiencies similar to those identified in Boeing’s design, and require those manufacturers, as necessary, to eliminate the potential for PSUs to separate from their attachments during survivable accidents. (A-12-3)

Develop test criteria and performance measures for negative-g strap assemblies to better evaluate their real-world loading capability during accident sequences. (A-12-4)

Once test criteria and performance measures are established as recommended in Safety Recommendation A-12-4, amend 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 25, as appropriate, to include the newly developed test criteria and performance measures for negative-g strap assemblies. (A-12-5)

Require that negative-g strap attachment brackets manufactured by Ipeco be retrofitted with stronger brackets. (A-12-6)

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The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration:

Require Boeing to develop a method to protect the elevator power control unit input arm assembly on 737-300 through -500 series airplanes from foreign object debris. (A-11-7)

Once Boeing has developed a method to protect the elevator power control unit input arm assembly on 737-300 through -500 series airplanes from foreign object debris as requested in Safety Recommendation A-11-7, require operators to modify their airplanes with this method of protection. (A-11-8)

Require Boeing to redesign the 737-300 through -500 series airplane elevator control system such that a single-point jam will not restrict the movement of the elevator control system and prevent continued safe flight and landing. (A-11-9)

Once the 737-300 through -500 series airplane elevator control system is redesigned as requested in Safety Recommendation A-11-9, require operators to implement the new design. (A-11-10)

Require Boeing to develop recovery strategies (for example, checklists, procedures, or memory items) for pilots of 737 airplanes that do not have a mechanical override feature for a jammed elevator in the event of a full control deflection of the elevator system and incorporate those strategies into pilot guidance. Within those recovery strategies, the consequences of removing all hydraulic power to the airplane as a response to any uncommanded control surface should be clarified. (A-11-11)

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Fourth Investigative Update on Boeing 787 Battery Fire


NTSB Provides Fourth Investigative Update on Boeing 787 Battery Fire in Boston

January 27, 2013
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board today released a fourth update on its investigation into the Jan. 7 fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston. The fire occurred after the airplane had landed and no passengers or crew were onboard.

The event airplane, JA829J was delivered to JAL on December 20, 2012. At the time of the battery fire, the aircraft had logged 169 flight hours with 22 cycles. The auxiliary power unit battery was manufactured by GS Yuasa in September 2012.

NTSB investigators have continued disassembling the internal components of the APU battery in its Materials Laboratory in Washington, and disassembly of the last of eight cells has begun. Examinations of the cell elements with a scanning-electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy are ongoing.

A cursory comparative exam has been conducted on the undamaged main battery. No obvious anomalies were found. More detailed examination will be conducted as the main battery undergoes a thorough tear down and test sequence series of non-destructive examinations.

In addition to the activities at the NTSB lab, members of the investigative team continue working in Seattle and Japan and have completed work in Arizona. Their activities are detailed below.

ARIZONA
The airworthiness group completed testing of the APU start power unit at Securaplane in Tucson and the APU controller at UTC Aerospace Systems in Phoenix. Both units operated normally with no significant findings.

SEATTLE
Two additional NTSB investigators were sent to Seattle to take part in FAA’s comprehensive review. One of the investigators will focus on testing efforts associated with Boeing’s root cause corrective action efforts, which FAA is helping to lead. The other will take part in the FAA’s ongoing review of the battery and battery system special conditions compliance documentation.

JAPAN
The NTSB-led team completed component examination of the JAL APU battery monitoring unit at Kanto Aircraft Instrument Company, Ltd., in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. The team cleaned and examined both battery monitoring unit circuit boards, which were housed in the APU battery case. The circuit boards were damaged, which limited the information that could be obtained from tests, however the team found no significant discoveries.

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Boeing 777 Air Emergency: Engine thrust rollback events


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Zach Lautzenheiser

George’s Point of View

come on Boeing/Rolls Royce, FIX-IT, waiting can be life-costly!

As you can see by the NTSB Press Release, It is time for Rolls-Royce and Boeing to move forward on a corrective redesign of Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 Series engines.

Take a look at these two incidents:

The solution is to amend the safety vulnerability. Redesign the FOHE and eliminate the potential of ice build-up.

NTSB agents believe there’s a good chance this will happen again; we would hazard a guess that it has already happened more than the twice we’ve mentioned here, and will continue to happen until the solution suggestion is implemented, built, and installed asap before we have to write here about 777 incidents or fatalities.

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