US regulators order Dreamliner review

on 11/01/2013 12:23:06

US federal regulators are ordering a comprehensive review of the critical systems of Boeing's 787s, the aircraft maker's newest and most technologically advanced plane, after a fire and a fuel leak.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the review will include the design, manufacture and assembly of the aircraft.

Officials plan to detail the review at a news conference later.

The 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner, relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does. It's also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries and to be made with lightweight composite materials.

A fire ignited on Monday in the battery pack of an auxiliary power unit of a Japan Airlines 787 empty of passengers.

Japan's All Nippon Airways reported two new cases of problems with its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
An ANA spokeswoman said today a very small amount of oil was discovered leaking from the left engine of a 787 on an internal flight. Checks found no safety risk it flew to Tokyo.

ANA said on another flight glass in a cockpit window cracked and the aircraft was grounded for repairs.

The airline cancelled a domestic flight to Tokyo on Wednesday after a computer wrongly indicated a problem with the 787's brakes.