NTSB advises FAA to conduct further tests on Boeing 787 Dreamliner batteries

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct new tests on Boeing 787 Dreamliner batteries, in response to two incidents last year.

The NTSB issued a series of recommendations related to the evaluation and certification of lithium-ion batteries for use in aircraft, along with the certification of new technology.

The five safety recommendations are a result of the NTSB’s ongoing investigation of the January 2013 fire event that occurred due to overheating of a lithium-ion battery on a Boeing 787 that was parked at Boston Logan Airport.

According to investigators, the battery involved in the incident showed evidence of an internal thermal runaway, as well as the occurrence of unintended electrical interactions among the cells, the battery case, and electrical interfaces between the battery and jet.

NTSB said that the processes used in 2006 to support certification of the lithium-ion battery for the Dreamliner were inadequate due to the absence of standardised thermal runaway testing.

In its safety recommendation letter, NTSB also stated that lithium-ion battery designs on aircraft currently in service may not have adequately accounted for the hazards linked with internal short-circuiting.

The agency also called for inclusion of a panel of independent experts early in the certification process for new technologies installed on aircraft.

NTSB acting chairman Christopher Hart said the history of commercial aviation is one that emerging technologies have played a key role in enhancing flight safety.

"This is why it’s crucial that the process by which these technologies are evaluated and certified is as robust and thorough as possible," Hart added. "These recommendations will take us further in that direction."

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Image: Boeing 787 Dreamliner during roll-out ceremony. Photo: courtesy of Yasuhiko Obara.