NTSB says Boeing 787 battery shows short-circuiting - lithium ion battery manufacturers

WASHINGTON-A senior official said government regulators were far from completing an investigation into the battery fire on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, calling the incident a "very serious air safety issue ".
Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Security Council, said on Thursday that although investigators have found evidence of problems with the damaged Dreamliner battery in January.
They have not yet identified the root cause of the fire in Boston.
"Our investigation is still too early and we have a lot of activities to do," Hersman said at a press conference . ".
According to The Seattle Times, Hersmann's statement led aviation safety experts to believe that the Federal Aviation Administration is unlikely to lift flight 787's emergency order quickly.
Jim Hall, former head of NTSB, told The Seattle Times: "I think you're looking at it for months, not weeks . ".
This is an unprecedented event.
We are very worried.
We do not expect a fire on the plane.
"This is a very serious air safety problem," Hersman said . ".
Investigators say there is evidence of a shortage of damaged batteries
Cycle and chemical reactions known as "heat out of control" where an increase in temperature can cause a gradual increase in temperature.
The investigators who first came here are not clear.
It's a circuit or heat out of control, says Hersman.
At a press conference that the board investigated, she said it was unclear what led to the two cases.
On January, a fire broke out shortly after a Japanese airline 787 plane landed at Logan International Airport. 7.
All passengers left the plane, but 26 minutes after the plane arrived at the gate, a cleaner noticed smoke in the cabin.
It took nearly 40 minutes for firefighters to put out the battery fire of the auxiliary power unit at the back of the plane.
Investigators are still doing an anatomy of the burnt inside of the battery at the Washington committee laboratory in an attempt to gather clues about the root cause of the fire.
The focus of their hard work is to look for defects in the battery that can cause the battery to be short-circuited
Short circuit or heat out of control.
Hersman said the battery monitoring unit that may provide the answer was severely damaged in the fire.
Investigators also tested the battery charger and another component related to charging.
Officials said they found that both had minor faults, but that was expected given the damage caused by the fire.
"We are still trying to determine the significance of these findings," Hersman said . ".
Boeing's latest, state-of-the-art aircraft Dreamliner is designed with safeguards to prevent two lithium-ion batteries from catching fire, which can catch fire once a fire occurs.
John Goglia, a former NTSB member, said Boeing was on the verge before the board could determine the cause of the two incidents.
"They have to find a smoke gun," Goglia told The Seattle Times . ".
"If there is no clear reason, the plane will drop for a while.
"The expectation of the aviation industry is never to experience a fire on the plane, but 787 had two battery failures in two weeks," Hersman said . ".
"We have to understand why this battery causes a fire when there are so many protections in the system.
"After the Boston battery caught fire, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a review of the design, manufacture and assembly of 787. On Jan.
On the 16 th, after the second battery incident, the agency will operate 6 787 of the United StatesS.
There are all airlines.
Authorities in Europe and elsewhere-
Including Chile, Poland, Ethiopia, Qatar and India-
Followed closely.
Two Japanese airlines took the initiative to stop flying before the FAA issued an order.
In general, there are already 50 dreamers around the world.
NTSB investigators are working with the FAA and Boeing. S.
And aviation regulators and manufacturers in Japan and France.
"A lot of work is going on around the world," Hersman said . ".
"We are working tirelessly to solve this problem," Boeing said in a statement . ".
Boeing has formed a team of hundreds of engineering and technical experts who work around the clock and the only focus is on solving this problem and getting the 787 fleet back to flight, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
The ground is a nightmare for Boeing, which competes with Airbus for the position of the world's largest commercial aircraft manufacturer.
At the time of stranding, Boeing had ordered more than 800 aircraft from airlines around the world, attracted by 78 7 fuel efficiency improvements.
The aircraft maker said it had stopped delivering new aircraft to customers despite continuing to build new aircraft.
Manchester United received the first six pounds of 787 last year, and is expected to receive two more in the second half of this year. Jeff Smisek, Chairman, President and CEO of United Continental Holdings
Speaking on a phone call with reporters on Thursday.
"There is a problem with all the new models, and the 787 is no different.
"We continue to be confident in aircraft and Boeing's ability to solve problems, as they do on every new aircraft they produce," Smisek said . ".
He said United are working closely with Boeing and the FAA to return the plane.
787 is the first passenger plane in the world mainly made of lightweight composite materials.
It also relies more on electronic systems than any other passenger aircraft, rather than hydraulic or mechanical systems.
This is the first passenger plane to use lithium-ion batteries extensively, which are lighter and can hold more energy, making it easier to install to odd numbers-
Than other types of batteries form space on the plane.
FAA certified 787 battery system, although they are more prone to fire when lithium-ion batteries overheat or short circuit
Than other types of battery circuits.
The Arizona company security aplane, which obtained the Boeing 787 battery charger design contract, had a fire on November 2006, and the battery used by an engineering technician exploded during the test, destroyed the company's laboratory and production building based on a summary of the findings prepared by an administrative law judge who listened to the whistleblower complaint filed by the technician.
The technicians went to court after they were fired.
Technician Michael Leon said he complained to the employer about battery damage and insecurity, as well as the difference between the schematic and assembly files used to make the battery charger.
Administrative Law Judge William Dorsey, who heard Leon's complaint at trial, said in his ruling that Leon's abuse of batteries during the testing process was a possible cause of the fire.
The FAA said in a statement that the FAA investigated Leon's complaint on 2008 and 2009.
"The investigation determined that the battery charging unit in the complaint was a prototype and that no batteries were installed on the Boeing 787 aircraft," the statement said . ".
"The production of specific printed circuit boards by safe aircraft meets the requirements of the FAA.
"Click here to learn more about the Seattle Times.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to the report.