Investigators probe Boeing 787 battery maker
U.S. and Japanese aviation safety officials investigating problems with Boeing Co’s 787 Dreamliner visited the headquarters of the plane’s battery maker on Monday, seeking clues into why one of the technologically advanced aircraft made an emergency landing last week.
A spokesman for GS Yuasa Corp, which makes batteries for the 787, said the company was fully cooperating with the investigation, and its engineers were working with the officials from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau (CAB) at the company’s compound in Kyoto, where it makes airplane batteries.
CAB official Tatsuyuki Shimazu told reporters the investigating team had been briefed by GS Yuasa and had toured the plant, looking at battery design, production and quality. The Japanese investigation at the plant will continue on Tuesday on a more detailed level, including tracking battery batch numbers and production dates, he said.