More Problems for Boeing's 787 Surface in Japan

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/business/global/cracks-appear-in-cockpit-window-of-boeing-787.html

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HONG KONG — Boeing’s newest and most sophisticated jet, the 787 Dreamliner, suffered more mishaps on Friday, when All Nippon Airlines of Japan reported incidents involving planes on two domestic flights.

Cracks appeared Friday in the cockpit window of a 787 Dreamliner heading from Tokyo to Matsuyama, in southern Japan. The flight, NH585, which was carrying 237 passengers and nine crew, left Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 9:35 a.m. local time and landed safely. No one was injured, a spokeswoman for the Japanese airline, Megumi Tezuka, said by phone from Tokyo. The return flight, NH590, which had been due to leave just before midday, was canceled to allow for the window to be replaced.

Ms. Tezuka added that this was the third time that cracks had appeared in the windshield of one of the 17 787s operated by A.N.A.; the other two incidents happened last year.

The cracks appeared on the outermost of five layers that compose the cockpit windshield and did not endanger the aircraft, Ms. Tezuka said. Moreover, cracks of this kind are not unique to the 787 Dreamliner; cracks have appeared in other aircraft types operated by All Nippon from time to time.

“We do not see this as a sign of a fundamental problem,” with the aircraft, Ms. Tezuka said.

The second incident involved a flight from Haneda to Miyazaki, also in southern Japan. Oil was discovered to be leaking from one of the 787’s engines after the plane, carrying 159 passengers and 8 crew members, had landed at Miyazaki shortly before 3 p.m. After checks, the aircraft proceeded on its return flight with a delay of 51 minutes, Ms. Tezuka said.

Although both issues were minor, they came just days after three other safety incidents involving the aircraft revived concerns about the plane’s reliability and safety.

On Wednesday, All Nippon canceled another domestic flight using the 787 after an onboard computer mistakenly showed problems with the aircraft’s brakes.

On Tuesday, a fuel leak forced a 787 operated by Japan Airlines to return to its gate minutes before taking off from Boston. And on Monday, an electrical fire broke out on another plane, also operated by Japan Airlines from Logan International Airport, in Boston.

The first commercial aircraft to make extensive use of lightweight carbon composites that promise big fuel savings for airlines, the Dreamliner underwent a series of embarrassing delays during its production phase and has had technical and electrical malfunctions since then.

Although the problems so far do not point to serious design flaws with the airplane, they represent an embarrassment to Boeing’s manufacturing ability, analysts have said.

Japan’s Transport Ministry, which oversees aviation safety in the country, said that the frequency of incidents on the Boeing 787 was not particularly higher than incidents reported for other aircraft.

The ministry, for now, did not see any need to raise alarm over the new aircraft’s safety, said Yasuhiro Yamada, an official in the aircraft safety unit.

Before the mishap Friday, there had been just six incidents on record involving Japanese airlines that caused a 787 Dreamliner to alter flight plans, according to the ministry. In two incidents in December, an All Nippon flight from Tokyo to Seattle turned back because of a temperature rise in the engine’s turbine, while another All Nippon 787 aircraft had a crack in its cockpit window. Nobody was injured in any of the six incidents, which were deemed by ministry officials to be minor.

“Even considering that the 787 is a new aircraft, which tends to come with initial glitches, we are not seeing a higher incidence of reported problems compared to other aircraft,” Mr. Yamada said.

He said the ministry continued to monitor incidents on the 787 and all other aircraft, but did not see a need for concern about the Dreamliner’s safety.

Two spokespeople for Boeing in Australia did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment on Friday.

<em>Hiroko Tabuchi contributed reporting from Tokyo.</em>