Boeing 787 Battery Fire:
Review of Aircraft Incident Report 14-01
The aircraft involved in the incident was a relatively new Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliner.”
At the time of the occurrence it had only 22 flight cycles and 169 flight hours. What could have caused such a new aircraft that had passed all flight testing to already have system malfunctions? Too further complicate matters; this was the first of two similar issues in a 9 day span that caused the eventual grounding of the entire fleet of 787s. Poor design and quality control of components were at the root of the problem. In addition, the FAA had insufficient guidance when certifying the systems’ airworthiness. All these issues combined led to incident that could have been much worse. Fortunately
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They were then led to the E/E bay by a mechanic. Upon entering the equipment bay, using a thermal imaging camera, the fire fighter located the fire and used a fire-extinguishing agent “Halotron”. According to their website (www.halotron.com), the agent is a proven clean fire extinguishing agent that rapidly evaporates so it can be safely used on most types of equipment. After several attempts at knocking the flame down, the battery reportedly exploded, causing a minor injury to the back of the neck of the ARFF captain who had entered the bay to relieve a member of his crew. A ventilation fan was placed to help reduce the smoke and the battery was removed from the aircraft. The whole event took about one hour and forty minutes after the initial …show more content…
The NTSB previously issued safety recommendations to the FAA regarding (1) insufficient testing methods and guidance for addressing the safety risks of internal short circuits and thermal runaway and (2) the need for outside technical knowledge and expertise to help the FAA ensure the safe introduction of new technology into aircraft designs (NTSB, 2014)
In response to the incident, Boeing has since added “triple-layered” safeguards to the lithium ion batteries (Aviation Week, 2013). Additional electrical insulation of cells and wire management greatly reduce the probability of short circuits. The entire battery now has a 1/8 inch steel case designed to contain any combustion or explosion. There is also a vent tube to allow gases to escape
The IC decided that the first thing that needed to be done was to contain the fire and get it extinguished as soon as possible. Then the IC divided the situation into three primary sections Tower 1, Tower 2 and the Vista Hotel. The bomb had detonated right below the Vista Hotel and thick black smoke was quickly filling the two towers. He then c...
During the flight, the second oxygen tank exploded. The oxygen tank contained liquid required for fuel and oxygen. Liquid oxygen has to be handled very carefully. The astronauts need to constantly stir the oxygen to prevent it from separating. The wires in the device needed to stir the oxygen were damaged, causing a big fire when electricity was passed through them. The explosion caused the number one oxygen to be critically damaged. This was bad because it left the ship with little power. Clueless about the real reason for the explosion, the crew thought a meteoroid had hit them. There was a large amount of damage caused by the explosions. Lovell looked out of the window, thirteen minutes after the explosion. He noticed that the ship was venting some gas out into space. Oxygen gas was leaking out of the spacecraft. Reacting on impulse, the astronauts closed the hatched between the Command Module and Lunar Module. Slowly, the crew and ground controllers began to realize that Apollo 13 was losing oxygen. Ap...
Lack of proper risk management process: NASA was using a simple risk classification system and the methods used were only qualitative. There was a lack of proper technical and quantitative risk management methods that could have helped them identify the risks and eliminate them.
...ve material, and detonators. As a result, the bomb casing was destroyed; most of the explosive material burned up, but a case of four spare detonators and the nuclear capsule were recovered undamaged. Since the components were separated, it was impossible for a nuclear detonation to occur. Had these safety measures not been put in place, the situation could very well have been much worse.
The objective of this paper is to analyze and discuss some of the Boeing Company's business decisions using their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, also known as an S.W.O.T. analysis which is defined as, "a planning tool used to analyze an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. (Nickels, McHugh, McHugh, page 216)". This is a very powerful tool usable by any business that is just starting out, going through a change in direction, or in the process of a major merger. The SWOT analysis consists of a few simple steps which can provide valuable insight for direction and decision making. This paper will use The Boeing Company as an example of SWOT analysis application.
It’s very hard to say what steps, if any, could have been taken to prevent the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster from occurring. When mankind continues to “push the envelope” in the interest of bettering humanity, there will always be risks. In the manned spaceflight business, we have always had to live with trade-offs. All programs do not carry equal risk nor do they offer the same benefits. The acceptable risk for a given program or operation should be worth the potential benefits to be gained. The goal should be a management system that puts safety first, but not safety at any price. As of Sept 7th, 2003, NASA has ordered extensive factory inspections of wing panels between flights that could add as much as three months to the time it takes to prepare a space shuttle orbiter for launch. NASA does all it can to safely bring its astronauts back to earth, but as stated earlier, risks are expected.
A.P. HERSMAN, CHRISTOPHER A. HART, and ROBERT L. SUMWALT. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), 6 May 2010. Web. 19 July 2010. .
Moreover, after the investigation was conducted, the NTSB had issued safety recommendations for the FAA to consider. The FAA had considered some of NTSB safety recommendations, for example, improving the mechanical procedure of locking and stronger latches for oversized cargo doors. One can agree that survivals of Flight 811 would remember that day.
Safety in the ethics and industry of aerospace technology is of prime importance for preventing tragic malfunctions and crashes. Opposed to automobiles for example, if an airplane breaks down while in mid-flight, it has nowhere to go but down. And sadly it will often go down “hard” and with a high probability of killing people. The Engineering Code of Ethics states first and foremost that, “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.” In the aerospace industry, this as well holds very true, both in manufacturing and in air safety itself. Airline safety has recently become a much-debated topic, although arguments over air safety and travel have been going ...
According to CPSC, there have been about 99 reports of injuries from the lithium-ion battery packs, such as burns to the legs, arms and neck, as well over $2 million in property damage. It’s extremely important to consult with a Tulsa Personal Injury Lawyer if you have been injured by a hoverboard, or any other consumer product, to recover medical costs, property damage, and lost wages.
Boeing/Airbus Case Analysis Competition in the Commercial Aircraft Business. With only a few large companies across the globe (Boeing, MD, and Airbus), the commercial aircraft industry essentially exhibits the qualities of an oligopolistic competition with intense rivalry. Here is an analysis of competition in the commercial aircraft business using Porter’s Five Forces. Figure 1: Porter’s Five Forces Applied to Aircraft Industry. Barrier to entry: - High barriers to entry, to a certain extent, help understand the risks involved in operating in the aircraft industry.
Throughout the mission, everything had gone well. Around eight minutes before the shuttle broke up, all seemed normal. The shuttle had successfully completed its de-orbit burn and was halfway around the world doing s-turns to minimize heat buildup and slow the rate it was descending, still travelling over 18,000 mph. Two minutes later, it was already over California and beginning to break up, starting with debris coming off of the left wing. The shuttle fully disintegrated within minutes and pieces landed in a large swath of the countryside covering parts of East Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Recovery teams were sent out almost immediately and within two hours, an investigation board was formed to discover the exact cause of the accident (McDaniels 1).
Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a timeline of problems - Telegraph. 2014. Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a timeline of problems - Telegraph. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10207415/Boeing-787-Dreamliner-a-timeline-of-problems.html. [Accessed 27 March 2014].
In 1990 Boeing was set to introduce the 777, the world’s largest and longest haul twin-bodied jet at the time. The 777 would serve the medium and long haul markets like the expanding Asian market. Boeing’s main competitors, Airbus Industries and McDonnell Douglas, had already announced plans to produce airliners that would compete directly with the 777. Analysts believed that the intense competition between the manufacturers would serve to depress prices for the airliners. Lower prices for aircraft would mean lower earnings.