Huerta, LaHood Say Battery Certification Process Is Being Examined

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and DOT Secretary Ray LaHood (pictured) issued a joint statement late Thursday indicating that Boeing is being given permission to conduct test flights with its beleaguered 787 Dreamliner.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to determine the root cause of recent Boeing 787 lithium-ion battery incidents, the FAA will permit Boeing to conduct test flights of 787 aircraft to gather additional data," the statement says. "The traveling public’s safety is our highest priority. These test flights will be an important part of our efforts to ensure the safety of passengers and return these aircraft to service."

According to the FAA, test flights are commonly used as part of research and development. In this case, the primary purpose of the test flights will be to collect data about the battery and electrical system performance while the aircraft is airborne. As with all test flights, these will be subject to a number of restrictions, including extensive pre-flight testing and inspections and in-flight monitoring in order to ensure the highest levels of safety. The flights will be conducted in defined airspace over unpopulated areas.

The test flights will be conducted through a Special Airworthiness Certificate (for the purpose of Research and Development) under the following requirements:

• Before flight, the crew must perform a number of inspections to verify that the batteries and cables show no signs of damage.
• Pre-flight checklist will include a mandatory check for specific status messages that could indicate possible battery problems.
• While airborne, the crew must continuously monitor the flight computer for battery related status messages, and land immediately if one occurs.
• Before the initial test flight, the crew must inspect the airplane’s smoke barriers and insulation to verify that they meet the approved design.
• Experimental research and development flights are flown with Boeing aircrews that include only personnel essential to the flight.

In addition to the FAA’s root cause analysis, the FAA is conducting a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems, including the aircraft’s design, manufacture and assembly.

“DOT is focused on the safety of the traveling public," the statement continued. "From day one, we have said that the comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 and the root cause analysis of the two battery incidents would be a data-driven process. Based on what information our experts find, the FAA will take any action necessary to further ensure safety. We must finish this work before reaching conclusions about what changes or improvements the FAA should make going forward. The leading experts in this field are working to understand what happened and how we can safely get these aircraft back into service.

"Last month, we announced a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems including the aircraft’s design, manufacture and assembly. Since then, the FAA's team of technical experts has been working around the clock to understand what happened and how best to prevent these issues from recurring. As part of this effort, the FAA is looking at both the certification process and specifically at the required tests and design of the aircraft’s lithium ion battery. The FAA invited the NTSB to observe this FAA-led process.

"The FAA is also lending our technical experts to support the NTSB's investigation into the probable cause of the battery incidents. The agency will also evaluate information from the investigations of these incidents and will take action as appropriate.

"As the agency said last month, the FAA is focused on the review and activities to understand the root cause. Once the review is complete, the FAA will make any analysis and conclusions public.”

There was no indication as to when the test flights might commence.

FMI: www.faa.gov