Boeing Looking at Interim 787 Fixes

Two test flights of the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner have so far failed to replicate or identify the cause of the battery malfunctions that grounded the jet, leaving the company increasingly focused on some low-tech interim fixes, according to government and industry officials.

With the global fleet of 50 Dreamliners out of service since mid-January, the officials anticipate the tough work of developing, testing and installing long-term battery fixes is likely to keep the planes on the ground until at least April.

More test flights are planned—including efforts to test potential fixes—although no significant new clues emerged to help pinpoint the cause of the problem. But to try to get the planes back in the air quickly, Boeing is now stepping up work on putting the lithium-ion batteries in a sturdy container to keep heat, flames and toxic chemicals from escaping if the power packs overheat. People familiar with the design of the container say titanium is a possible material for its construction.

The protective covering also would aim to keep moisture from the battery's internal workings, which experts said in some circumstances can lead to short-circuits and other problems.

Even in the past few days, according to people familiar with the details, the concept has gained traction and prompted increased discussions between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, because the likely timetable for various longer-term fixes has lengthened.

Any proposed short-term fix also is likely to include enhanced temperature sensors and other features to more quickly warn pilots about malfunctioning or overheating batteries aboard 787s.

The so-called containment box has some important precedents. When lithium-ion batteries are used aboard U.S. commercial or government satellites, safety experts say they often are enclosed in some type of external titanium protection. The thickness of the metal, which melts only at extremely high temperatures, is about one-quarter of an inch, according to one U.S. government expert.

Without discussing details of possible fixes, a Boeing spokesman said company experts are "working tirelessly in cooperation with our customers and the appropriate regulatory and investigative authorities," adding that "everyone is working to get to the answer as quickly as possible, and good progress is being made."

An FAA spokeswoman didn't have any immediate comment.

On a parallel track, according to government and industry experts, Boeing continues to look for longer-term, more complex solutions to avoid battery dangers. They include increased separation between cells inside the battery, keeping cells from shifting or swelling and preventing microscopic buildup of metal deposits that can cause short-circuits. But experts agree those efforts have been complicated and delayed due to the slow progress of accident probes on both sides of the Pacific.

At this point, however, it isn't clear if federal regulators—or congressional committees tracking developments—will accept short-term fixes that target symptoms rather than causes of the hazards. Leaders of the FAA and the U.S. Transportation Department previously said they wouldn't allow 787s to return to service until investigators identified the root cause of the two battery incidents that occurred last month aboard Dreamliners operated by two Japanese airlines and until Boeing installed and tested fixes to ensure such events couldn't reoccur.

Maintaining that position, though, may become more difficult for the agency if the investigation drags on without a clear-cut answer, while the Chicago plane maker and its airline customers clamor for relief.

Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth, told a supplier conference in Lynnwood, Wash., on Wednesday that the company's plans to build five 787s per month in its two Dreamliner factories would continue unabated. Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant builds four each month and its new North Charleston, S.C., plant supplies the balance. But as the production continues uninterrupted by the ongoing grounding, Boeing may be challenged to find space for all the completed 787s.

More than 50 undelivered production 787s are spread across Boeing's factories in Washington state and South Carolina, including at least 40 jets in Everett. Boeing has occupied smaller runways at its main campus with early 787s that already required heavy modification before delivery, but the plane maker is moving newly built aircraft to storage to make room on its flight lines. Whatever the interim or final fix for the 787's battery woes will be, each already-finished plane would need to be modified before delivery.

The space crunch is made even more severe by on-going construction on a ramp area in Everett that has been able to hold as many as six 787s in storage in the past. Boeing is converting the space to an operations depot for its modified 747s "Dreamlifters" that carry parts of the 787 around the world.

"We have space now, but won't speculate on the future," says Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel.