|
| Boeing today conducted a flight test on LN86, the aircraft
| being used for 787 tests, which the company says were
| unrelated to a fix for the aircraft's lithium-ion batteries.
|
| The aircraft, also known by its Boeing production
| designation as ZA272, originally was expected to make a
| test flight on March 30, but for unknown reasons this was
| cancelled. Boeing says the "flight is unrelated to the
| ongoing 787 battery certification testing. The battery
| certification demonstration flight will take place in the
| coming days."
|
| The airframer last flew ZA272 when it conducted a
| functional test flight on March 25.
|
| The interim testing appears to be focused on verifying the
| functionality of specific systems that could play a key
| role in the upcoming battery demonstration flight, as well
| as other electrical systems unrelated to the battery
| modification. A revised power panel design was expected to
| be tested as part of the canceled March 30 flight from
| Paine Field at Boeing's Everett, Wash., production facility.
|
| The power panel has been the source of early in-service
| issues with the 787, as revealed by launch operator All
| Nippon Airways, which indicated the unit had been the cause
| of erroneous error messages on the engine indicating and
| crew alerting system during events in March, April and June
| 2012. Investigators found that a short in one of the power
| panel circuit boards caused the April event.
| ...
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--bks