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Japan Airlines flight for Tokyo returns to Boston

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A Japan Airlines Boeing 787 that left Boston for Tokyo on Thursday returned to Boston “due to aircraft maintenance”, the company said on its website without elaborating.

Japan Airlines has one of the largest fleets of the Boeing 787 and has had several problems with the new-generation Dreamliner plane since it was allowed to resume flying after being grounded between January and April for serious battery problems.

The plane left from Boston at 12:57pm (1657 GMT) but returned to its airport of departure at around 6:00 pm.

“As a standard precautionary measure due to a maintenance message (fuel pump) indicator, JL007 bound for Tokyo-Narita decided to return to Boston Logan for check and landed safely,” Carol Anderson, a US-based JAL spokeswoman, told AFP in an email.

Boston Logan said on its Twitter site the 787 made “a precautionary return”.

“Flight has landed and is taxiing to gate,” it said.

JAL officials in Tokyo were not immediately available for comment.

Last week, another 787 used by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire at London’s Heathrow airport.

Japanese airlines Japan Airlines and ANA, which has the biggest fleet of the craft, have experienced around a dozen minor complaints with the 787 since it was allowed to resume flying after four months of being grounded.

After months of investigations, US authorities in April formally approved Boeing’s battery fix and Japanese regulators followed suit.

The battery supplier, Japan’s GS Yuasa, has voiced confidence that the system will never cause similar problems again.

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Japan identifies spate of Boeing 787 jet problems

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Japanese investigators have identified the causes of fuel leaks and other problems with Boeing’s 787 but are still investigating the more serious battery problem that forced an emergency landing in January and the worldwide grounding of the jets.

An oil leak was caused by an improper paint job that led to a switch not working properly, while inadequate taping led to cracks in cockpit glass, and a faulty part led to braking problems, according to the Transport Ministry‘s investigation released Friday into problems that occurred with the 787 Dreamliner in January.

The government issued orders to fix the problems with 787s operated by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, the country’s two major carriers and the biggest customers for Boeing Co.’s new jet.

All 50 of the 787 jets in service around the world have been grounded for more than a month after a lithium-ion battery in a 787 operated by ANA overheated Jan. 16, forcing an emergency landing in western Japan. Earlier in January, a lithium-ion battery caught fire in a Japan Airlines 787 parked in Boston.

Boeing and U.S. authorities are also investigating, but Friday’s findings shed little light on the main problem.

The 787 is the first jet to extensively use lithium-ion batteries, which weigh less, charge faster and are more powerful than other kinds of batteries. Japanese manufacturer GS Yuasa makes the batteries for Boeing.

The aircraft manufacturer said earlier this week that it intends to propose to U.S. federal regulators a temporary fix for the batteries. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity did not disclose details.

A fix for the 787 batteries would require stopping an uncontrolled overheating reaction called “thermal runaway,” in which the battery gets hotter and hotter, and short-circuits spread from one battery cell to another.

The battery problems are not necessarily linked to their manufacturer and could come from the myriads of parts and systems connected to the battery.

Separately, the Japanese ministry said this week it had found the ANA jet’s auxiliary power unit had been erroneously wired to the main battery that overheated.

ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners in its fleet, and JAL, with seven, have had to cancel hundreds of flights over the 787 woes.

JAL and ANA have released plans for flights without the 787 through the end of March, but have not said what they plan to do in the long term. Both companies have said they are ready to seek compensation from Boeing.

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Joint US and Japan Boeing 787 probe shifts to monitoring system maker

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The joint U.S. and Japanese investigation into the Boeing 787’s battery problems has shifted from the battery-maker to the manufacturer of a monitoring system.

Japan transport ministry official Shigeru Takano said Monday the probe into battery-maker GS Yuasa was over for now as no evidence was found it was the source of the problems.

Ministry officials said they will inspect Kanto Aircraft Instrument Co. on Monday as part of the ongoing investigation. It makes a system that monitors voltage, charging and temperature of the lithium-ion batteries.

All 50 of the Boeing 787s in use around the world are grounded after one of the jets operated by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in Japan earlier this month when its main battery overheated. Earlier in January, a battery in a Japan Airlines 787 caught fire while parked at Boston’s Logan International Airport.

GS Yuasa shares jumped on the news it is no longer being investigated, gaining nearly 5 percent in Tokyo trading. The issue had plunged 12 percent after the battery problems surfaced in Japan.

Ministry officials stopped short of saying that Kanto’s monitoring system was under any special scrutiny, saying it was part of an ongoing investigation.

“We are looking into affiliated parts makers,” Takano said. “We are looking into possibilities.”

Kyoto-based GS Yuasa declined to comment, noting that the investigation was still underway.

Deliveries of the jet dubbed the Dreamliner were three years behind schedule because of manufacturing delays. Much of the aircraft is made by outside manufacturers, many of them major Japanese companies who make about 35 percent of the plane.

It is the first jet to make wide use of lithium-ion batteries, the kind usually found in laptops and other gadgets. They are prone to overheating and require additional systems to avoid fires.

Investigators have been looking at the remnants of the ANA flight’s charred battery, but it is unclear whether the battery or a related part was behind its overheating. Investigators have said the ANA battery and the JAL battery did not receive excess voltage.

Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways was the “launch customer” for the 787, and has been forced to cancel services — 643 domestic flights through Feb. 12, affecting 69,000 passengers, and 195 international flights through Feb. 18, affecting 13,620 passengers.

Japan Airlines, which has fewer 787s than ANA, has deployed other aircraft in its fleet, minimizing its flight cancellations.

Boeing, which competes against Airbus of France, has halted 787 deliveries. Boeing has orders for more than 800 of the Dreamliner planes.

The 787 is the first airliner made mostly from lightweight composite materials that boost fuel efficiency. It also relies on electronic systems rather than hydraulic or mechanical systems to a greater degree than any other airliner.

Analysts say customers won’t come back to the 787 unless its safety is solidly assured.

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Battery in 787 swollen from overheating, official says

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A battery beneath the cockpit of the Boeing 787 forced to make an emergency landing in Japan was swollen from overheating, a safety official said Thursday, as India joined the U.S. and Japan in grounding the technologically advanced aircraft because of fire risk.

U.S. officials, and a Boeing engineer, are due in Japan on Friday to assist with Japan‘s investigation into the All Nippon Airways 787 that landed in western Japan after a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and cabin.

The main battery in an electrical room beneath the cockpit was swollen and had leaked electrolyte, safety inspector Hideyo Kosugi said on Japanese broadcaster NHK. Investigators found burn marks around the battery, though it was not thought to have caught fire.

The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing’s newest jet, and the company is counting heavily on its success. Since its launch after delays of more than three years, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems including a battery fire and fuel leaks.

GS Yuasa Corp., the maker of the lithium ion batteries used in the 787s, said it was helping with the investigation but that the cause of the problem was unclear.

“We still don’t know if the problem is with the battery, the power source or the electronics system,” said Yasushi Yamamoto, a spokesman the company which is based in Kyoto, Japan. “The cause of the problem is not clear,” he said. Thales, which makes the battery charging system, has not commented so far.

Air India‘s decision Thursday to ground its fleet of six Boeing 787, under orders from Indian aviation authorities, means that some 36 of the 50 jets in use around the world are now out of action. Japan‘s ANA, which has 17 of the 787s and Japan Airlines, which has seven, voluntarily halted flights Wednesday after the emergency landing but aviation authorities have now made the grounding an official directive.

In Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration also required U.S. carriers to stop flying 787s until the batteries are demonstrated to be safe. United Airlines has six of the jets and is the only U.S. carrier flying the model. Aviation authorities in other countries usually follow the lead of the country where the manufacturer is based.

Yasuo Ishii, an official with the aviation safety division of Japan‘s transport ministry, said Japan Airlines and ANA had been directed not to fly their 787s until questions over safety of the aircraft are resolved.

The 787 relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does. It’s also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries for its main electrical system. The batteries charge faster and can be molded to space-saving shapes compared to other airplane batteries, allowing the use of lightweight composite materials instead of aluminum.

Worries over potential fire risks from lithium ion batteries, with their well-known flammability, predate the launch of the 787. In a May 2011 report, the FAA outlined various improvements in containing and preventing onboard fires but also noted that electrolyte leaks could make a fire more hazardous due to the high energy density and power capacity of such batteries.

The FAA had issued special precautions for installation of such batteries on board the 787s.

Boeing said it was working around the clock with investigators.

“We are confident the 787 is safe, and we stand behind its overall integrity,” Jim McNerney, company chairman, president and CEO said in a statement.

Japan‘s transport ministry categorized Wednesday’s problem as a “serious incident” that could have led to an accident.

It was unclear how long the Dreamliners would be grounded. ANA and JAL canceled some flights or switched aircraft. Other airlines with 787s in their fleets include Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, LAN Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines.

Japan‘s transport ministry had already started a separate inspection Monday of a 787 operated by Japan Airlines that had leaked fuel in Tokyo and Boston, where the flight originated.

A fire ignited Jan. 7 in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of an empty Japan Airlines 787 on the tarmac in Boston. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze.

A computer problem, a minor fuel leak and a cracked windscreen in a cockpit were also reported on a 787 in Japan this month.

Boeing has said that various technical problems are to be expected in the early days of any aircraft model.

Much remains uncertain about the problems being experienced by the 787, said Masaharu Hirokane, analyst at Nomura Securities Co. in Tokyo.

“You need to ensure safety 100 percent, and then you also have to get people to feel that the jet is 100 percent safe,” Hirokane said.

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Japan Airlines reports new fuel leak in Boeing 787

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Japan Airlines said on Sunday that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet being checked in Tokyo after a fuel leak at Boston Airport last week had leaked during earlier tests conducted the same day, Reuters reports.

Narita International Airport outside of Tokyo says Japan Airlines reported a 100-liter fuel leak in a 787 during an inspection Sunday. The aircraft reportedly was the same one that had a fuel leak in Boston last week.

A company spokeswoman said a leak from a nozzle on the left wing used to remove fuel was caused by an open valve on the aircraft. The jet, which spilled about 40 gallons of fuel onto the airport taxiway in Boston in a separate valve problem, is out of service.

The spill happened as the plane was taxiing for takeoff on a flight to Tokyo on January 8. It made the flight about four hours later.

According to the JAL spokeswoman, the causes of both incidents are unknown. It is not known when the plan is expected to fly again.

“We are aware of the event and are working with our customer,” Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said of the leak in Tokyo, according to Reuters.

The U.S. government said Friday the 787 is safe to fly, though it launched a probe last week into the cause of various problems.

The 787 is Boeing’s newest and most high-tech airliner. Japanese airlines are among the top 787 customers.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Click for more from Reuters.

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