Following the onboard fire on a test flight, Boeing is making minor design changes to the power distribution panels on the 787 and is updating the systems software that manages and protects power distribution on the aircraft.
An investigation into the electrical fire onboard the 787 test aircraft ZA002 showed it lost primary electrical power as a result of the fire but it has yet to announce what caused the fire in the first place. But initial reports suggested the fire was caused by a short circuit or an electrical arc in the P100 power distribution panel. Boeing’s design fixes are aimed to improve the protection from such an incident within the panel. The changes to the software mean fault protection will be improved.
"We have successfully simulated key aspects of the onboard event in our laboratory and are moving forward with developing design fixes," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "Boeing is developing a plan to enable a return to 787 flight test activities and will present it to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as soon as it is complete."
Boeing aims for the design changes and software updates to be done as soon as possible and a revised 787 programme schedule will be issued in the next few weeks.