How a Battery Grounded Boeing’s Revolutionary Dreamliner - 9:35
AM The grounding of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has now spread
worldwide. All of the countries with airlines flying the
airplane have followed the lead of the Federal Aviation
Administration in the United States, grounding the new airliner
until the chemistry in the lithium-ion batteries used on board
can be proven to be safe. This is the latest, and most serious
in a series of incidents that have affected Boeing’s flagship
airliner since the 787 entered service just over a year ago.
Many of the issues, including small fuel leaks, a cracked
windshield and faulty indicators, have been attributed to
“teething problems” experienced by all new airliners entering
service. But the battery issues have proven to go beyond simple
growing pains, and have now lead to the first grounding of a
U.S. commercial airplane fleet since 1979, threatening to
undermine confidence in the Dreamliner, as well as Boeing
itself. The grounding of the fleet comes after a fire on