Why Are the Batteries in Boeing's 787 Burning?
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Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has not had a charmed birth. While some of its problems—a windshield crack, minor fuel leaks—can easily be dealt with, the issues that have arisen with the plane’s batteries are much more serious.
In two incidents in recent weeks, lithium-ion batteries malfunctioned—the battery in a 787 on the tarmac in Boston caught fire, and a second 787 was forced to make an emergency landing Wednesday morning in Japan, when smoke from the battery made its way into the cockpit. That led to a worldwide grounding of Dreamliners while authorities investigate the batteries and other 787 systems.