Dreamliner probe turns to battery maker GS Yuasa
Safety inspectors on Monday were probing the company that makes batteries for Boeing’s Dreamliner after the aircraft’s worldwide fleet was grounded over safety fears.
Japanese and American safety inspectors today were probing the company that makes batteries for Boeing’s Dreamliner after the aircraft’s worldwide fleet was grounded over safety fears.
Aviation regulators were focusing on the lithium-ion batteries as the cause of a glitch that forced an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight into an emergency landing last week.
Despite the investigation shares in GS Yuasa, which manufactures the batteries for the Dreamliner’s advanced electronics systems, were up slightly in afternoon Tokyo trade.
The Japanese firm is just one of many contractors in a complex global chain that led to three years of delays before Boeing delivered its first 787 to ANA in 2011.
“Engineers from the [US Federal Aviation Administration], Boeing and our aviation bureau started a probe this morning that is mainly focusing on GS Yuasa’s production line,” said Yasuo Ishii, a transport ministry safety official.
“They are checking on whether there have been any issues in the production process. We still don’t know what caused the battery problem and so we are looking into all possibilities.”
Ishii said the inspection does not mean authorities think GS Yuasa, based in the western city of Kyoto, was to blame for the problems.