U.S. Federal Aviation Administration technical advisor Eric
West (L) inspects All Nippon Airways' Boeing Co 787
Dreamliner plane which made an emergency landing at
Takamatsu airport in Japan on Wednesday. A team of experts
from U.S. aviation authorities and Boeing Co arrived in
western Japan on Friday to inspect a passenger jet operated
by All Nippon Airways Co that made an emergency landing
earlier this week. REUTERS/Issei Kato
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Friday
that the Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner jet will not fly again until
authorities are "1,000 percent sure" it is safe.
LaHood said he could not predict when the 787 would be
authorized to resume flights.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday
temporarily grounded the 787 after a second incident
involving battery failures caused one of the Dreamliner
passenger jets to make an emergency landing in Japan.
LaHood said safety authorities are closely investigating the
jet's lithium-ion batteries, which pack more energy and are
faster to recharge but which are potentially more volatile.
"The reason that we grounded it is because we did further
consultation with Boeing and there was another incident,"
LaHood told reporters. "So those planes aren't flying now
until we really have a chance to examine the batteries ...
That seems to be where the problem is."
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