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In a directive issued on Tuesday, the Federal
Aviation Administration said it had received reports that some
787-8 planes did not have foam-like plugs properly installed as
required to keep a fire-suppression chemical in an electrical
compartment in the plane.
In the event of a fire, the FAA said, the condition could cause
loss of the suppression chemical, known as Halon, in cargo
areas, "and result in the inability to extinguish a fire and
consequent loss of control of the airplane."
The compartment, known as the forward electrical equipment bay,
is where one of the 787's two lithium batteries is located. The
plugs go into "stringers," structural elements that run along
the length of the fuselage.
The fix doesn't affect the plane's battery system, Boeing said.
Boeing's 787 was grounded for three months last year after
lithium batteries overheated, prompting Boeing to redesign the
battery, charger and containment system.
The FAA rule applies to three U.S. planes but is likely to
influence foreign operators.
Boeing said it had already advised operators to update the plugs
"to ensure they are secured in the desired design
configuration."
Boeing recommended in May that operators fix the problem within
two years. On Thursday, the Chicago-based company said it agreed
with the FAA's proposal to require operators make the fix within
a year.
The problem affects 88 planes of the 183 delivered through
August, Boeing said.
"An engineering review determined that this improper
configuration does not present an immediate safety concern for
several reasons, including redundancies designed into the system
and the extremely low likelihood of system activation," Boeing
said in a statement.
"Regardless, it is important to return airplanes to their proper
configuration," it added.
"We support the FAA’s proposed rule, which would make mandatory
the recommendations we provided to our operators four months
ago," Boeing said.
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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