2 Arizona companies get visits as part of 787 probe

 

The investigation into problems with Boeing's 787 "Dreamliner" shifted to Arizona on Tuesday as the National Transportation Safety Board planned to visit companies in Phoenix and Tucson involved in making components of the plane's auxiliary power unit system. 

The Japanese-made battery believed to be the source of a 787 Dreamliner fire in Boston this month was connected to the plane’s auxiliary power unit, or APU.

An auxiliary power unit is a motor that provides power to start the main engines. It also powers the plane's auxiliary functions when the main engines aren't running.

A fire ignited Jan. 7 in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of a Japan Airlines 787 empty of passengers as the plane sat on the tarmac at Boston’s Logan International Airport. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze.

Initially, investigators believed the lithium-ion APU battery, produced by Kyoto-based GS Yuasa Corp., had exceeded its designated charge of 32 volts.

However, investigators have ruled out overcharged batteries as the cause of the fire.

On Tuesday, NTSB investigators traveled to Arizona to test related products made by Securaplane Technologies Inc., of Tucson, and Pratt & Whitney Engine Services, of Phoenix.

Securaplane makes the charger for the Dreamliner's APU batteries, and Pratt & Whitney produces the APU itself.

Kelly Nantel, public affairs division chief for the Wash., D.C.-based NTSB, said both Securaplane's charger and Pratt & Whitney's APU would be tested, and the memory of both devices would be downloaded for examination.

Both Securaplane and Pratt & Whitney officials have said they would cooperate with the investigation but declined to comment further.

All 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in use by airlines have been grounded pending the outcome of the NTSB investigation.

Two Japanese airlines, Japan Airlines and Nippon Airways, have reported problems with the 787 Dreamliner including landing-gear problems, a minor fuel leak, a cracked cockpit windscreen, battery problems and a burning smell.

The earliest manufactured jets of any new aircraft usually have problems, and airlines that fly them first run higher risks, said Brendan Sobie, Singapore-based chief analyst at CAPA-Centre for Aviation.

Since about half the 787 fleet is in Japan, more problems are cropping up there, he said.

Story and Video:  http://www.azcentral.com