Post date: Jan 11, 2013 3:9:53 PM
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner jet suffers cracked cockpit window and oil leak on separate flights in Japan - the latest in a series of incidents testing confidence in the sophisticated new aircraft.
MATSUYAMA, EHIME PREFECTURE, JAPAN (JANUARY 11, 2013) (TBS) - Boeing's 787 Dreamliner jet suffered a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak on separate flights in Japan on Friday (January 11), the latest in a series of incidents testing confidence in the sophisticated new aircraft.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) said a domestic flight from Tokyo landed safely at Matsuyama airport in western Japan after a crack developed on the cockpit windscreen, and the plane's return to Tokyo was cancelled.The same airline later said oil was found leaking from an engine of a 787 Dreamlinerafter the plane landed at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan. An airline spokeswoman said it later returned to Tokyo after some delay. No one was injured in either incident.
"I had great expectations for the Dreamliner so it's a bit of a worry -- I hope they sort out the problems quickly," one airline passenger said at Matsuyama airport.
ANA said crew noticed a spider web-like crack in a window in front of the pilot's seat about 70 minutes into the flight, which was close to its destination.
A spokesman for the airline said cracks appear a few times every year in other planes and are not a sign of fundamental problems with the 787 Dreamliner.
Earlier this week, a battery fire caused damage to an empty 787 jet operated by JapanAirlines while it was on the ground at Boston airport.
The next day, another JAL 787 spilled 40 gallons of fuel onto the taxiway at the same airport after a problem that caused a valve to open, forcing the plane to delay its departure.
On Wednesday (January 9), ANA cancelled a domestic Dreamliner flight due to a brake-control computer glitch.
U.S. transportation officials were to hold a press conference in Washington at 0930 EDT (1430 GMT) on Friday to discuss issues related to recent electrical problems on the new plane, one person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Bloomberg News said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration would announce a review into the jet's power system.