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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
today approved the Boeing
Commercial Airplane Company's
certification plan for the redesigned 787 battery system, after
thoroughly reviewing Boeing's proposed modifications and the
company's plan to demonstrate that the system will meet FAA requirements. The certification plan is the first step in the
process to evaluate the 787's return to flight and requires
Boeing to conduct extensive testing and analysis to demonstrate
compliance with the applicable safety regulations and special
conditions.
“This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the
proposed battery improvements will work as designed,” said
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We won't allow the plane
to return to service unless we're satisfied that the new design
ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.”
The battery system improvements include a redesign of the
internal battery components to minimize initiation of a short
circuit within the battery, better insulation of the cells and
the addition of a new containment and venting system.
“We are confident the plan we approved today includes all the right elements to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the
battery system redesign,” said FAA Administrator Michael P.
Huerta. “Today's announcement starts a testing process which
will demonstrate whether the proposed fix will work as
designed.”
The certification plan requires a series of tests which must be
passed before the 787 could return to service. The plan
establishes specific pass/fail criteria, defines the parameters
that should be measured, prescribes the test methodology and
specifies the test setup and design. FAA engineers will be
present for the testing and will be closely involved in all
aspects of the process.
The FAA also has approved limited test flights for two aircraft.
These aircraft will have the prototype versions of the new
containment system installed. The purpose of the flight tests
will be to validate the aircraft instrumentation for the battery and battery enclosure testing in addition to product
improvements for other systems.
The FAA will approve the redesign only if the company
successfully completes all required tests and analysis to
demonstrate the new design complies with FAA requirements. The
FAA's January 16, 2013 airworthiness directive, which required
operators to temporarily cease 787 operations, is still in
effect, and the FAA is continuing its comprehensive review of
the 787 design, production and manufacturing process.
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