Dreamliner battery fiasco blamed on design flaws

The January 2013 battery fire on a Japan Airlines Dreamliner led to the longest grounding of a large commercial aircraft by US regulators since jets were introduced in the 1950s.

Boeing uses two lithium-ion batteries in the Dreamliner to power electronics and other equipment.

But, according to the The National Transportation Safety Board, a short circuit in one of the battery’s eight cells triggered a runaway failure that engulfed the entire power pack.

Boeing had certified that overheating in one cell of the lithium-ion battery couldn’t spread to others and the Federal Aviation Administration approved the design and testing.

The NTSB faulted both in a final report for not anticipating how the power packs might fail, and also pointed the finger at Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa, whose shares sank more than 2 per cent.

The 787 entered the market more than three years behind schedule in 2011, slowed by a variety of issues