Boeing Co has asked the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for permission to conduct test flights of its 787 Dreamliner, suggesting the company is making progress in finding a solution to the battery problems that grounded the entire 787 fleet last month. The FAA said it is evaluating Boeing's request.
Meanwhile, Japanese officials probing the emergency landing of a Dreamliner said its lithium-ion battery was damaged by a build up of heat that resulted in uncontrollably high temperatures. “The battery was destroyed in a process called thermal runaway, in which the heat builds up to the point where it becomes uncontrollable,” said a Japan Transport Safety Board official.
