WASHINGTON: The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday criticised Boeing for commenting about the 787 battery investigation last week without the board’s authorisation.
The NTSB, which is leading the probe, said that what Boeing told journalists in its upbeat March 15 progress update represented the 787 maker’s own views, and did not have the board’s prior approval.
At Boeing’s briefing in Japan, home to the 787’s biggest customers, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Ray Conner said he was optimistic the company’s battery fix would put the aircraft, grounded internationally since mid-January, back in the skies.
“We are talking more along the line of weeks,” he said.
Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s chief project engineer on the 787, also told reporters there had been no fire inside the battery on either of the two aircraft that experienced battery-related incidents.
But NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said yesterday that Boeing’s briefing represented its own views, and not those of the investigation.
“The NTSB’s primary concern is that during their March 15 briefing in Tokyo on the modifications to the 787 battery system, Boeing representatives provided their own analysis and conclusions regarding an ongoing NTSB investigation,” Nantel said in an email.
In a letter to Boeing dated Thursday and posted on the NTSB website, the board took issue with Boeing’s presentation.
“Boeing is obviously familiar with the NTSB investigative process and its failure to inform the NTSB of the content of the recent technical briefing in Tokyo prior to its occurrence is inconsistent with our expectations for a party,” NTSB general counsel David Tochen wrote. AFP
