http://jalopnik.com/5973753/a-boeing-787-is-reportedly-on-fire-at-bostons-logan-airport Smoke was coming from cargo hold, no solid cause yet. The plane was at the ramp, no passengers were aboard.
Yep, not very reassuring, every plane has teething issues, but the A380 and the 787 have not had smooth entry into service.
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/boeings-787-faces-scrutiny-after-several-reports-mishaps-1B7871940?ocid=msnhp&pos=1 I'd be worried, but then I'm a nervous flyer. I hate it. I make it a point not to fly on Airbus planes if I can avoid it...
Well, I spelled "flier" wrong, so I can't be that smart! ****EDIT - ok, maybe not per this site: http://grammarist.com/spelling/flier-flyer/
Another JAL Dreamliner had a fuel leak today at KBOS. http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/01/08/japan-airlines-jet-leaks-fuel-at-logan-airport/
APU battery reported as the cause on the cargo bay fire. Fuel leak fixed on the other one and she departed soon after. Just teething problems on a new aircraft.
Having been there on 8 new Boeing airplane programs, I have to agree with you ,Taz. I was thinking about things that happened on each one and in the old days, the public never heard about them unless there was a crash. I can and have mentioned some bizarre things that happened on some of the programs but I have a feeling that there is some skill dilution in play here. Too many new young people with thin experience in the disciplines and control.
I'd have to imagine there is data kept on the crash ratio by plane / manufacturer...I'd be curious to see these (although I should be careful what I wish for...I'm traveling in 2 weeks!!!). Any idea if there's something public?
Here is a photo from the area that the battery caught fire. https://twitter.com/NTSB/status/288768832972136448/photo/1
On 777 the design group hierarchy was really deep. Grunts were both new hires and experienced engineers (lot of contract guys). Leads almost all had prior new airplane development experience, i.e. 757/767. Principal engineers, above the leads, typically had multiple new airplane development experience. I doubt if the 787 had the same depth, especially in the vendor teams. Many of the the new hires on the 777 had already been promoted into supervisor/managerial roles, thus the design teams lost out on a lot of the lessons learned of seasoned veterans.
I worked from the start on the 777 when it was called the 767-X. When it really began to jell it appeared that the company trolled through every department and office and scooped up the best and most experienced gang they could find. I never worked with a more cohesive, dedicated, helpful, agreeable, and skilled bunch of people on any previous program. Mulally had a lot to do with that, too.
Well, four of the Boeings rank 3/4/5/6 and the best Airbus is 7, but newer aircraft like 777s and A330s are not included. I wonder if the 767 ranking includes Egyptair, which was suspected to be a pilot suicide? I'm interested in the fact that one crash makes AirTran (which I fly often) seem comparatively unsafe, but that was back in the ValuJet days, so it probably shouldn't even count.
In more recent times we are seeing the push to the "all electric" airplane, and I don't know that this is such a good thing. Electric components tend to be less labor intensive than hydraulic stuff to maintain, but when it goes south it goes in a big way and nothing works. Most hydraulic problems are leaks and, while they stop you from taking off, they don't usually fail in a big way once you are in the air. The airlines want the lowest maintenance aircraft, and for sure the electric stuff doesn't require the labor hours to keep it up to snuff, but when you are flying you don't want something critical to totally break down. I know there are a lot of improvements in electrical stuff, but it doesn't tend to be any lighter, and if you do the FMECA on it, it isn't always violins and roses... Just sayin... Also it appears that it was a lithium ion battery that failed. From AvLeak this morning.. "The event centered on a lithium ion battery unit, located in the aft electrical/electronics (E/E) bay, which is designed to start the auxiliary power unit (APU) and provide back-up lighting power" While they are great at capacity, LI batteries are more prone to spectacular failures...
No need to worry, the government is going to fix everything.... http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/11/travel/dreamliner-problems/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Given time in service none of these are maintenance issues. Possibly just minor assy/instl issues, which may be fixed by shop floor job cards or may require dwg changes. Cracked windshield could be much more. What we (the public) don't know is the history of any windshield issues during the flight test program, or whether this airplane is one of the flight test airplanes and a fleet leader (flight time). The cockpit structure has very complex load paths due to geometry and number of cutouts (for windshields). It can be difficult to install a windshield to not pick up any loads for which it is not designed.
If I'm not mistaken these are the largest compound-curve windshields in the #1 position currently in service. Most have flat glass, left and right #1.