摘要: |
This report discusses the January 7, 2013, incident involving a Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8, JA8297, which was parked at a gate at General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts, when maintenance personnel observed smoke coming from the lid of the auxiliary power unit battery case, as well as a fire with two distinct flames at the electrical connector on the front of the case. No passengers or crewmembers were aboard the airplane at the time, and none of the maintenance or cleaning personnel aboard the airplane was injured. Safety issues relate to cell internal short circuiting and the potential for thermal runaway of one or more battery cells, fire, explosion, and flammable electrolyte release; cell manufacturing defects and oversight of cell manufacturing processes; thermal management of large-format lithium-ion batteries; insufficient guidance for manufacturers to use in determining and justifying key assumptions in safety assessments; insufficient guidance for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification engineers to use during the type certification process to ensure compliance with applicable requirements; and stale flight data and poor-quality audio recording of the 787 enhanced airborne flight recorder. Safety recommendations are addressed to the FAA, The Boeing Company, and GS Yuasa Corporation. |