Boeing Dreamliner hit by two more accidents; FAA launches investigation
Japan Airlines received its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner on March 26, 2012.
Major aviation company Boeing's new Dreamliner 787 jet has been plagued with safety incidents in the past two weeks, prompting an investigation by the US Federal Aviation Investigation into the persistent problems.
The FAA will launch a top-priority investigation into the jet on Friday, and will discuss electrical problems and a review into the Dreamliner's power system in a 9:30 EDT press conference, according to AP.
Read more from GlobalPost: Boeing has "extreme confidence" in Dreamliner despite third mishap this week
On Friday, Japan Airlines reported two separate incidents with Dreamliner's flying domestic routes, including a cracked cockpit window that "did not endanger the aircraft," and a minor oil leak, wrote the New York Times.
The Dreamliner's bad week began with a minor Monday battery fire on a Japan Airlines-owned model of the jet (unoccupied by passengers), the cause of which has yet to be determined, wrote the Wall Street Journal.
United quickly inspected its own six Dreamliners and identified faulty wiring on one of the airplanes.
A Tuesday JAL flight was delayed in Boston due to a fuel leak caused by an open valve, while a Wednesday All Nippon Airlines Co. flight was cancelled due to suspected brake problems with one of the jets, caused by a faulty computer alert.
Read more from GlobalPost: United says Boeing Dreamliner makes emergency landing in New Orleans
In December, a 13-day-old United Airlines Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans, after mechanical problems were discovered by the crew.
The eagerly awaited new Dreamliner 787 is the first jetliner constructed largely of light carbon-composite, and sells for a hefty $200 million — a price many aspirant airlines have been thus far happy to pay, with 50 deliveries thus far and more than 800 jets on back-order, according to Yahoo.
Recent and highly publicized safety-concerns with the new jets have forced Boeing to shift into damage-control mode, wrote the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
Dreamliner chief engineer Mike Sinnett told the WSJ that he was "100% convinced the airplane is safe to fly."