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Boeing asking FAA to allow 787 'Dreamliner' test flights
Boeing has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow it to fly test flights on its 787 "Dreamliner" airplane.
The 787 has been grounded by the FAA since last month because of a battery issue that sparked at least one electrical fire, but Boeing spokesman Tim Neale said the company was ready to begin flying the 787 again, albeit for testing purposes, not passenger service.
"Boeing has submitted an application to conduct 787 test flights and it is currently under evaluation by the FAA,” Neale said in a statement.
The agency grounded the 787 after a fire broke out on a 787 operated by Japan Airlines at Boston's Logan International Airport. The fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery failure.
Smoke was seen in-flight on another 787 that had a similar battery issue shortly thereafter, causing the FAA to order U.S. airlines to take the planes out of service.
The second plane, operated by Japanese airline All Nippon Airways, made an emergency landing. No one was hurt in either incident, but other worldwide aviation agencies followed the FAA's lead, resulting in a worldwide grounding of the Dreamliner.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said that the 787 battery that caught fire in Boston exhibited signs of accelerated temperature increases known as "thermal runaway" and short-circuiting.
The NTSB is conducting a separate review of the 787's battery issues.
