U.S. experts probe Boeing 787 in Japan; focus on battery

A team of experts from Japan, U.S. aviation authorities and Boeing investigate the All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 787 Dreamliner that made an emergency landing earlier this week, with a focus on the battery.

TAKAMATSU, KAGAWA PREFECTURE, JAPAN (JANUARY 18, 2013) (REUTERS) - The team to investigate a 787 Dreamliner passenger jet that made an emergency landing in Japan earlier this week appeared to be focussing their attention on a faulty battery on Friday (January 18).

The incident prompted regulators in the United States and around the world to ground the 50 Dreamliners already in service.Battery-related problems are being investigated after warning lights indicated a batteryfault and crew noticed fumes in the cabin and cockpit on an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight on Wednesday (January 16).

On Friday, officials from the Japan Transportation Safety Board (JTSB) took samples near a vent at the side of the aircraft, which the JTSB said would only have opened if there had been smoke in an electrical compartment on board the aircraft.

ANA spokesperson Hideya Oishi said they had grounded their Dreamliners ahead of the government decision and hoped it could return to the air soon.

"We took the decision to ground our Dreamliners even before the government directive to ensure the safety of our passengers. But that said, we believe the 787 is an absolutely wonderful aircraft, so we will be making every effort to cooperate with the authorities to ensure its speedy return to the skies," he said.

The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) aims to end its initial checks by around midday on Saturday (January 19), a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The five representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB),Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing are helping Japanese authorities in the investigation of the aircraft, which remains parked at the side of Takamatsu airport inwestern Japan.