TOKYO- Japan’s pride carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA), which was the launch customer of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been facing several issues with its engines.
Since 2013, ANA has always been in the headlines for 787 engine overheating, battery failure, or oil and fuel leaks. Let’s examine some of the recent incidents.
ANA Boeing 787 Engine Issues
The most recent incident occurred on May 18, 2024, when ANA 787-8, registered as JA811A was operating flight NH468 from Okinawa (OKA) to Tokyo Haneda (HND).
As the Aviation Herald reported that ANA Flight was climbing through FL310 out of Okinawa, the crew received an overheat indication for the left-hand Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. They initially descended the aircraft to FL270 and then returned to Okinawa.
Following this, the flight was canceled and the aircraft was ferried back to Tokyo. At the time of writing the post aircraft is airborne again operating on Ishigaki (ISG)-Tokyo (HND) route.
Oil Leak
Last month, ANA Flight NH71 carrying 216 people from Shin Chitose Airport, Sapporo (CTS) to Tokyo (HND) reported an oil leak and smoke from the engine.
ANA officials explained to AP News that nonflammable oil from a control system evaporated upon contact with a hot engine, creating the appearance of smoke.
They assured that the leakage did not compromise the safety of those on board. The leak triggered a cockpit warning, and the cause is currently under investigation.
Engine Corrosion
In August 2016, ANA was forced to cancel its flight amid reports of corrosion inside RR Trent 1000 engines.
As of 2016, ANA operated a fleet of 50 Dreamliners. ANA canceled nine flights that day and cancel over 300 more by the end of September, Takeo Kikuchi, a deputy senior vice-president of engineering and maintenance, told reporters in Tokyo. Kikuchi explained that ANA was replacing the medium-pressure turbine blades on these planes.
This isn’t the first time corrosion has been detected in Rolls-Royce engines. The issue appeared in the Trent 1000 gearboxes in 2012 but was promptly resolved.
Battery Overheating
In 2013, an ANA flight from Japan was forced to make an emergency landing due to overheating of lithium-ion batteries on 787s.
Following this, smoke was reported and a burning smell spread across the cockpit and inside the cabin.
While these batteries produce ample electrical power, they also have the potential to leak corrosive fluid and ignite fires.
During that time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US civil aviation safety regulator, took the significant step of grounding all US Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), quickly did the same.
Coming back to 2024, the FAA has issued ADs to inspect the anti-ice system on 787s. The issue led to thermal damage to the wing structure.
Boeing earlier issued guidelines that gave 30 months to inspect, resolve, and fix the issues on 787s.
Not just ANA, Air India (AI) has also faced various issues with its 787s, the major of all being windshield cracks. Furthermore, other 787 operators face similar issues and are forced to cancel flights amid these unexpected technical problems.
Boeing is under heavy scrutiny since its 737 MAX fatal crash and recent door blowout incident leading to the grounding of the entire 737 MAX 9 fleet.
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The post ANA and Boeing 787 Engine Issues, the Never Ending Story appeared first on Aviation A2Z.