All Dreamliners Grounded: Boeing unsure whether cabin fire will delay 787 delivery

A Boeing 787 made an emergency landing Tuesday in Laredo, Texas, after the fire broke out in the rear electronics bay. In that area, the airplane is not equipped with fire suppression equipment. Instead, the bay is outfitted with nonflammable materials including fire-retardant blankets, Fancher said. The 787 lost primary electrical power but the backup emergency power unit, called the ram air turbine, functioned as designed, he said.

A power control panel is at the heart of Boeing's investigation into the source of the fire, which caused smoke to waft into the cabin of the second 787 test plane.

“It's too early to answer” whether the incident will lead to a delay in delivery of the first 787 expected in February, said Scott Fancher, vice president of Boeing's 787 program. Boeing's 787 program is already running almost three years behind schedule.

For more: Snohomish County Business Journal: All dreamliners grounded - Boeing unsure whether cabin fire will delay 787 delivery