FAA Grounds Dreamliner in the US

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered all Dreamliner flights in this country be grounded. The action comes on the heels of two Japanese airlines voluntarily grounding all 787 flights Wednesday (1/16/13). An All Nippon Airways flight had to land in an emergency in western Japan following a battery fire that led to smoke in the cockpit and cabin. In a press release issued Wednesday, the FAA stated, it was issuing “an emergency airworthiness directive (AD)” to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations. Before further flight, operators of the U.S. registered Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe. “The FAA will work with the manufacturer and carriers to develop a corrective action plan to allow the U.S. 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible.” Last week the FAA ordered a comprehensive review of all major systems of the state-of-the-art aircraft. It went on to say in the press release, “The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire in the electrical compartment.” The FAA recognized that United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier currently operating the 787 with six in use, but it said it was alerting all international carriers to take the same action. To read the entire press release issued Wednesday by the FAA, visit here. The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that a LOT Polish airlines was scheduled to arrive at O’Hare Airport Wednesday afternoon carrying several dignitaries of the Polish government and airlines. It was scheduled to leave O’Hare at 9:55 p.m. to return to Warsaw, but the FAA announced its grounding just hours before this flight was scheduled to depart.