Overheated During United Flight From Dulles To Paris

A lithium-ion battery aboard a United Airlines Boeing 787 en route from Washington Dulles Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris overheated and failed during the transatlantic flight on November 13.

Forbes relays a report from the Aviation Herald which indicated that the flight was nearing the airport when the crew received the warning that the main battery was overheating. After landing the maintenance crew found battery fluid dripping from the forward vent relief system, which was designed following a battery fire aboard a JAL airliner shortly after the Dreamliner entered service.

The airplane remained in Paris for four days before being ferried back to Denver. There, it stayed grounded for two additional days before being returned to service.

Boeing declined to provide a list of battery failures since the Dreamliner fleet was grounded and the battery systems were modified. In a statement the company said that "More than 2.7 billion revenue miles have been flown by the approximately six hundred 787 Dreamliners currently in service."

The FAA does not require notification of a battery failure from either Boeing or the carriers operating the aircraft.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report