WASHINGTON -- Boeing has developed a plan to propose to federal regulators to temporarily fix problems with the 787 Dreamliner's batteries that have kept the planes on the ground for more than a month, a congressional official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner is expected to present the plan to Michael Huerta, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, in a meeting on Friday, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the issue.Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said the company doesn't talk in advance about meetings with federal officials."Everyone is working to get to the answer as quickly as possible, and good progress is being made," Birtel said.The FAA and overseas aviation authorities grounded all 50 of the planes in service after a lithium ion battery caught fire on a plane parked in Boston and a smoking battery led to an emergency landing by another plane in Japan.The 787 is Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced plane. It was supposed to exemplify the future of commercial aviation, but the groundings have been a major public black eye and financial drain for Boeing, which vies with Airbus for the position as the world's largest commercial aircraft maker.Japan's Transport Ministry said Wednesday its investigation has uncovered a new problem: The aircraft's auxiliary power unit, which contains a lithium ion battery, was improperly connected to the main battery that overheated.NTSB investigators found that the Boston fire started with multiple short-circuits in one of the battery's eight cells.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
