WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday an interim factual report and 499 pages of related documents in its ongoing investigation of the Japan Airlines 787 battery fire in Boston.
NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman announced that the NTSB will be holding both a forum and a hearing in April to provide additional information to advance the investigation.
The forum, which will be held in mid-April, will explore lithium-ion battery technology and transportation safety. The investigative hearing, to be held later in April, will focus on the design and certification of the 787 battery system.
"The information developed through the upcoming forum and the hearing will help the NTSB and the entire transportation community better understand the risks and benefits associated with lithium batteries, and illuminate how manufacturers and regulators evaluate the safety of new technology," Hersman said.
The 48-page interim factual report summarizes the NTSB's initial findings on the JAL battery fire investigation and includes details on how the maintenance personnel discovered the fire, how the firefighters responded and extinguished it, findings from the examination of the battery and test results of related components, initial reports on the flight recorder data, a description of the 787 electrical power system certification plan, and a list of ongoing and planned investigative activities.
The NTSB documents are available on this page.
KIRO
