787 a realistic safe form of transport?

[Andrew Godden 945]

Ah, yes, ELTs.  Any Executive Leadership Team in any operation is dangerous, particularly if it is unchecked and gets away from you.  Even more so if they are contained in a confined space.  As these little creatures normally exist at high altitudes, in a rarefied atmosphere, it is no wonder the halon extinguishers were ineffective. 

[allardjd 1,853]

Now that's funny, Andrew. I'll bet Honeywell isn't laughing at the moment.

 

John

[allardjd 1,853]

Not clear to me if this "recommendation" by AAIB is limited to 787s or all AC with that kind of ELT. It kind of reads as if they are referring to 787s only, which seems kind of short-sighted. As far as I know, virtually all ELTs use some form of lithium battery, even in GA aircraft that use them.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uk-investigators-disable-locator-beacon-787s-19699444

 

John

[allardjd 1,853]

Pinched Wire May Have Caused 787 Transmitter Fire

 

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_07_21_2013_p0-599038.xml

 

It's sounding as if the ELT is the culprit. This article postulates an internal wiring fault in the ELT as the potential cause. There's nothing definite yet but this appears to be the prime suspect at this time.

 

John

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

What the hell next for this blighted aircraft?   All this sort of thing should have been sorted out BEFORE it entered service.

 

[allardjd 1,853]

This particular model of ELT is used in many different AC types - about 6,000 have been produced.  I think it's been in use since about 2005.  It's nothing more than incredible bad luck if the only one known to have caused a fire happened to be installed in a 787.

 

As I understand it, the suspect "pinched wire" was within the ELT and therefore a defect that occurred in Honeywell's manufacture of the device.

 

If all this proves out to be accurate, it's going to be hard to blame Boeing for this one, though people will still do that.

 

John

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

This is true, Joe Public can be a fickle character. He responds to what he sees, Not what is the truth. I once had a bus passenger ask me why I was late,  Both myself and the other passengers looked at him like he was nuts. There was a massive traffic jam coming down that particular street in Leeds and I'd been stuck in it. It was so obvious to everyone that no-one complained.....except him! I didn't need to call him anything, the other passengers did! and they weren't polite about it! Gotta love Yorkshire folk!

[britfrog 180]

well the press have once again got hold of a 787 fault or two apparently a quatari 787 had smoke coming out of an electronics bay and air india had it microwave cooker explode.

 

WTF is boeing doing ? when they cant even build a cooker that can last several months?

 

why didnt they just buy an over the counter chinese cooker and bolt it into the bay that would outlast the a/c if our microwave is anything to go by.

 

Still the press feeding frenzy continues

 

it is almost as if they are wishing a crash to happen

[Mistwalker 3]

I've always despised the Press. They're no longer in the news reporting business but much preffer the news 'making' business. What they don't know they make up and never let the facts get in the way of a good story. When something like this happens they're like a dog with a bone. Especially if they have some "dramatic" video to accompany it. I particularly dislike what they do in regards to military and security issues. If half of today's "journalists" performed back in WWII the way they do now they'd have found themselves up on treason charges.

 

As for the story this thread is about, if a passenger so much as stubs his/her toe on a dreamliner seat or they run out of toilet paper onboard, the press will be all over it..... Bless 'em.

[brett 2,316]

News or propaganda, it's hard(not really) to tell nowadays.