Aerospace Diary

July 11, 2013

Neelam Mathews Feb 8, 2013 At a press conference held yesterday NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said the cause of the short circuit was yet to be found, but they were looking at several possibilities. NTSB will release an interim report within 30 days. That means the fleet most likely will remain grounded at least another month. Boeing is working on several possible fixes to the issue, including designs that will better protect the electrical bays and aircraft from any potential fire damage. In a statement released after the NTSB press conference, Boeing said it welcomes the progress being made in the investigation. The company also said it worked within FAA guidelines during certification. The FAA, meanwhile announced they will allow limited test flights by Boeing to collect data about the battery and electrical systems during flight. The test flights will be flown over unpopulated areas with just the Boeing crew on board the aircraft.   ational Transportation Safet...

Neelam Mathews Jan 25, 2013 Air India will have to wait to fly its 787s as FAA, not NTSB, will decide when the worldwide grounding will be lifted and the investigation "may take some time," NTSB Board Chairman Deborah Hersman, said at an update br iefing in Washington yesterday. “We have to understand why this battery failure resulted in a fire when there were so many protections designed into the system.... This is not something we’re expecting will be resolved overnight, " said Hersman. It is now 17 days following the investigation of the battery incident that led to the grounding of the 787 fleet.“Today I can tell you what we know so far....We know that the lithium-ion battery experienced a thermal runaway. We know that there were short circuits, and we know that there was a fire. The work that we continue to do will tell us why these things happened.” The ANA 787 smoke issue on Jan which led to an emergency landing, is also linked to a damaged ...

Neelam Mathews July 28, 2011 The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced its new list of the most critical transportation issues that need to be addressed to improve safety and save lives. The new "Most Wanted List" highlights 10 safety issues that impact transportation nationwide. Aviation concerns feature heavily on the organisation’s ‘Most Wanted List’. These include promote pilot and air traffic controller professionalism; address human fatigue; require safety management systems; improve runway safety; require image and onboard data recorders; and improve general aviation safety. "The NTSB's ability to influence transportation safety depends on our ability to communicate and advocate for changes," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "The Most Wanted List is the most powerful tool we have to highlight our priorities." NTSB began issuing an annual Most Wanted List in 1990. The list released is the first one produced ...