B788, en-route Shikoku Island Japan, 2013

B788, en-route Shikoku Island Japan, 2013

Summary

On 16 January 2013, a main battery failure alert message accompanied by a burning smell in the flight deck was annunciated as an ANA Boeing 787-8 climbed through FL320 on a domestic flight. A diversion was immediately initiated and an emergency declared. A landing at Takamatsu was made 20 minutes later and an emergency evacuation completed. The Investigation found that the battery had been destroyed when thermal runway followed a suspected internal short circuit in one of the battery cells and concluded that certification had underestimated the potential consequences of such a single cell failure.

Description

On 16 January 2013, a Boeing 787-8 (JA804A) being operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) on a scheduled passenger flight from Yamaguchi-Ube to Tokyo Haneda in day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) made an emergency diversion to Takamatsu after a main battery failure was annunciated climbing through FL320. After smoke was seen coming from the aircraft by ATC following a landing on runway 26, an emergency evacuation was completed with four of the 137 occupants sustaining minor injuries.

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the Japan TSB with awareness of the apparently similar event to an out of service aircraft of the same type at Boston US, nine days earlier. FAA action later on 16 January in issuing an AD prohibiting any further flight by US-registered 787 aircraft until corrective action to be determined had been notified and complied with was noted. Further FAA action on 26 April 2013, the issue of AD 2013-08-12 detailing the required battery system modifications to be actioned prior to further flight by grounded 787s, was also noted.

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