Boeing supports deactivating Dreamliner emergency beacon following recent fire
Courtesy CNN
SEATTLE -- Boeing released a statement Thursday saying it supported the United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch's recommendation to disconnect the emergency beacons in all 787 Dreamliners following the fire onboard an Ethopian Airlines flight last week.
The AAIB recommended Boeing take precautionary steps to disconnect the emergency beacon after the organization determined a malfunction in or near the beacon caused the fire on the parked Ethiopian Airlines Jet on July 12 at London's Heathrow Airport.
Most of the damage in the fire occurred in the upper portion of the rear fuselage, coinciding with the location of the aircraft's Emergency Locator Transmitter, the AAIB report claimed.
The manufacturer of the transmitter produced about 6,000 units of the design, the report said, but the fire at Heathrow was the first reported incident.
The AAIB also asked the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a safety review of installations of the transmitter in other aircraft models.
"As a party to the investigation, Boeing supports the two recommendations from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which we think are reasonable precautionary measures to take as the investigation proceeds," a statement from Boeing said. "We are working proactively to support the regulatory authorities in taking appropriate action in response to these recommendations, in coordination with our customers, suppliers, and other commercial airplane manufacturers."
Boeing reiterated that the investigation into the fire was not complete, and that it stood by the integrity of its airplane.
More than 50 Boeing Dreamliners were grounded by the FAA in January due to a separate battery malfunctions.