US National Transportation Safety Board seeks more 787 battery testing
Source:.transportweekly 2014-5-29 11:07:00
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to improve tests on overheating batteries aboard Dreamliner 787s and other aircraft, Reuters reports.
"Lithium-ion battery designs on airplanes currently in service might not have adequately accounted for the hazards associated with internal short circuiting," the NTSB said.
The NTSB said FAA and Boeing testing relied on certifying batteries for 787 use. NTSB tests showed results were affected by environmental factors such as the air temperature around the battery.
The batteries are also used in cars, laptops and smartphones and have a tendency to overheat through processes that are not well understood.
The cause of the 787 fire in Boston in January 2013 has not yet been determined. Regulators grounded the 787 fleet for three months while Boeing designed a steel containment box to stifle battery fires.