Boeing 787 Is Set Back As Blaze Forces Fix
NOVEMBER 25, 2010, 7:15 P.M. ET
By PETER SANDERS
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Boeing Co. is modifying portions of the electrical system on its forthcoming Dreamliner, after an in-flight fire aboard a test plane two weeks ago again threw the timetable for the flagship program into doubt.
The move marks just the latest setback for the Dreamliner, which is running nearly three years behind schedule and is in danger of again missing a key milestone: its first delivery to a customer, which Boeing has projected for the beginning of next year.
Boeing didn't provide a new delivery or flight-certification timetable. The Chicago-based company said Wednesday it was assessing how long it would take to implement "minor design changes" and software upgrades and what effect that would have on the overall program. The company said it expected to have a new schedule in the next few weeks. Boeing has suspended test flights since the fire.
The difficulties happened at an unfortunate time for Boeing, which is trying to secure orders for the new jet as it deals with cancellations, delivery deferrals and billions of dollars in penalties and price concessions to customers frustrated by delays.
Boeing isn't alone in grappling with design complications. European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. recently warned that deliveries of its Airbus A380 might be delayed next year because of engine problems discovered after an engine blowout on a Qantas Airways Ltd. flight Nov. 4. Qantas grounded its A380 fleet for several weeks.
And while the Boeing and Airbus incidents' causes were different, they both resulted in widespread electrical failures, prompting air-safety experts to look at ways to further safeguard critical electrical circuits. The events also highlight the reliance of new planes on potentially fickle software and electrical systems. The A380, the world's biggest commercial aircraft, was about two years behind schedule and nearly $7 billion over budget when it was finally delivered in 2007. Airbus still hasn't managed to ramp up production to levels it had previously anticipated.
Boeing said the Dreamliner fire was "most likely caused by the presence of foreign debris." A spokeswoman said the debris was a small metal object but that the company was unsure exactly what it was. She said Boeing found no evidence of an errant tool, contradicting a French newspaper that said a worker left a metal tool in the electrical compartment. A piece of wire or a small bolt could be the culprit, but Boeing engineers were unable to find the offending debris after the fire, she said.
Roughly 30 Dreamliners have either been built or are nearing completion. The new electrical-system design and software change would need to be installed on those planes and incorporated into future aircraft. Boeing has nearly 850 Dreamliners on order, with list prices of $161 million to $205 million apiece, depending on the version. Customers typically negotiate significant discounts from list prices, however.
Whatever solution Boeing and its suppliers devise for the electric and software problems would be subject to regulatory approval, which could delay full implementation of the fix.
Boeing didn't say when the fleet of six test Dreamliners would resume flight.
The Nov. 9 fire occurred while Dreamliner No. 2 was on final approach to the Laredo, Texas, airport. That plane remains in Laredo while the other five 787s are back at Boeing's commercial-airplane headquarters in Seattle.
The likely cost of the latest modification could be less of an issue to Boeing than the effect it could have on orders and the possibility of additional penalties to customers whose deliveries could be further delayed. Analysts have estimated that Boeing has already racked up more than $5 billion in penalties, but the company hasn't provided a figure.
Days before the Texas incident, Boeing flew a Dreamliner to Paris and Amsterdam for a look by executives from Air France-KLM SA, which appears to be considering the plane as part of a large order of wide-body jets. One competitor of the Dreamliner is the Airbus A350, slated to fly in the next few years.
Now it is unlikely that Boeing will meet the scheduled first-quarter delivery of the first Dreamliner, to All Nippon Airways Co. The Japanese airline has declined to comment on the Dreamliner problems. Analysts and industry observers peg the first delivery between the middle of next year and early 2012.
Before the fire, Boeing had been alerting some early customers that their initial deliveries would be delayed by months because of production issues. The Dreamliner, which is made largely of high-tech carbon-fiber composite material, has been plagued by design and manufacturing issues since 2007. Boeing also has been forced to deal with a number of problems that have cropped up during the test-flight program, which started last December, as well as quality-control issues with various suppliers around the world.
A power panel that was involved in the fire is built by the Hamilton Sundstrand unit of United Technologies Corp., a key Boeing supplier. A Hamilton Sundstrand spokesman said Thursday that the company worked closely with Boeing during the fire investigation and continues to assist with the electrical-systems modifications.
The fire began as the jet was at an altitude of 1,000 feet. The plane was completing a six-hour flight designed to test a new nitrogen system that improves the safety of the twin-engine jet's fuel tanks. The fire didn't involve that system or the plane's Rolls-Royce Group PLC engines.
The fire involved a large power panel inside the aft electronics bay, which is located under the cabin floor, just behind the left wing. The panel uses power supplied by the plane's left engine to help feed electricity to systems throughout the aircraft. A post-fire power interruption caused a series of cascading power failures that affected many of the plane's systems, including autothrottle, computer flight-deck displays and electronic flight controls.
Some of the Dreamliner's backup emergency systems kicked in, including a Ram Air Turbine, a small backup generator that automatically deploys in the event of a major power failure.
But many of the 787's redundant electrical systems appeared to fail. Boeing long has maintained that the sophisticated electronics and software aboard the new Dreamliner were designed with many backups to avoid the kind of power-failure scenario encountered during the fire.
A Federal Aviation Administration pilot was at the jet's controls when the fire broke out, according to a person familiar with the details. Another FAA inspector was in the cabin, which was outfitted with engineering consoles and not as a normal passenger cabin. A Boeing test pilot was in the co-pilot's seat and other company pilots were able to assist the crew in landing the plane safely. One of the 42 engineers and test personnel aboard the jet suffered a minor injury while exiting the plane on an emergency slide.
—Andy Pasztor contributed
to this article.
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