Aircraft Industry: Boeing Dreamliner Batteries Need More Testing: US Safety Watchdog says

Boeing Dreamliner continues to be plagued by problems

The U.S. agency that investigates air crashes on Thursday called for lithium-ion batteries on Boeing's 787 Dreamliners to undergo more testing to ensure they are safe. 

The National Transportation Safety Board urged the Federal Aviation Administration to develop better tests for the uncontrolled overheating that led to a battery fire on a Dreamliner in 2013, require Boeing to conduct the tests, and check whether 787s, and possibly other planes, need more testing to ensure their lithium batteries are safe. 

The NTSB stopped short of calling the batteries or planes unsafe. Lithium-based batteries are widely used in cars, laptops and smartphones and have a tendency to overheat through processes that are not well understood by scientists. 

The NTSB has not yet determined a root cause for the 787 fire that occurred in Boston in January 2013. Two other 787 batteries have since overheated, one in January 2014, and regulators grounded the 787 fleet for three months last year while Boeing designed a steel containment box meant to stifle battery fires on the innovative jet. 

Boeing said it supports efforts to improve certification standards. The FAA was not immediately available to comment. 

Boeing also said the tests it conducted in overhauling the 787 battery system last year "are fully consistent with the recommendations made by the NTSB today. We therefore remain confident in the safety and integrity of the comprehensive battery solution which was developed by Boeing, and approved by the FAA, last year."

In calling for the changes before the fire investigation ends, the NTSB signaled that safety could be improved and pressed the FAA to move forward without delay.

Read more: Boeing Dreamliner Batteries Need More Testing: Safety Watchdog - NBC News.com

All Nippon Airways' Dreamliner flight cancelled over brake parts - as problems pile up for Boeing

A BOEING Dreamliner flight by Japan's All Nippon Airways had to be cancelled because of a brake problem, an airport spokesman said, the third problem to hit the aircraft in as many days.

ANA 698 was cancelled because brake parts from the rear left undercarriage needed to be replaced, said the spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube airport in western Japan.

On Monday a Japan Airlines-operated 787 Dreamliner caught fire after landing in Boston on a flight from Tokyo. On Tuesday, Japan Airlines aborted a flight after around 150 litres of fuel spilled onto the runway.

The Dreamliner is touted as the great new hope for US manufacturer Boeing, which says its next-generation composite fibre body reduces weight and improves fuel efficiency.

But the string of incidents this week are only the latest in a series of glitches for the aircraft.

In July last year, test engine trouble was the subject of a probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

On July 23, Japan's All Nippon Airways said it was grounding five Dreamliners for repairs because of a defect in the Rolls-Royce engine.

In February, Boeing said around 55 Dreamliners were at risk of developing a fuselage problem.

Dow Jones Newswires reported that electrical problems prompted an emergency landing in New Orleans by a United Continental Dreamliner flight recently.

Read more: All Nippon Airways' Dreamliner flight cancelled over brake parts | News.com.au