Japan Airlines says that the Boeing 787-8 at the centre of a lithium ion battery overheating event on 14 January suffered no damage.
A spokesman for the Oneworld carrier says that the aircraft, registered JA834J, was undergoing pre-departure maintenance at Tokyo Narita airport when maintenance staff looked through a cockpit window and saw white smoke rising from the bottom of the fuselage.
Technicians then checked the outside of the aircraft but did not observe any smoke, however there was an indication of a “Main Battery & Main Battery Charger” failure.
The main battery enclosure was then opened, and the maintenance staff found that a safety pressure relief valve connected to one battery cell had opened and liquid had dispersed into the enclosure. Pressure relief valves for the other seven cells did not open, and no other damage was found in the equipment bay where the battery enclosure is located.
JAL says that the flight that the aircraft had been scheduled to operate was operated with another 787, and it is monitoring the battery situation on the other 787s, which remain in service.
It adds that it is cooperating with Boeing to investigate the cause of the battery incident, which is also expected to involve the Japan Transport Safety Bureau. The US National Transportation Safety Board adds that it is aware of the event, and “is ready to assist investigative authorities in Japan.”
All Nippon Airways says that its 787 fleet is operating normally, but adds that it is "monitoring the JAL 787 situation closely."
Source: Cirium Dashboard
