Japan Fails To Isolate Cause of 787 Battery Meltdown
Final report identifies likely causes but reached no firm conclusion
Thermal runaway in the main ship battery of an ANA Boeing 787 in January 2013 led to a global grounding that lasted more than three months. (Photo: Boeing)
Thermal runaway in the main ship battery of an ANA Boeing 787 in January 2013 led to a global grounding that lasted more than three months. (Photo: Boeing)

The Japan Transport Safety Board has concluded its investigation into the overheating of the lithium-ion main ship battery aboard a Boeing 787 last year without reaching a definitive conclusion on the cause. However, the report, issued on Thursday, said that “inappropriate” testing might have contributed to the Jan. 16, 2013 incident, which led to a worldwide grounding of the Dreamliner fleet until Ethiopian Airlines resumed service on April 27 that year. It also pointed to low temperatures as a possible culprit due to lithium metal’s tendency to form deposits on a battery’s electrodes in such conditions.