Boeing’s new 787 is a rather fraught aircraft at the moment. It carries large bundles of lithium batteries that are a known fire hazard, its windshield has suffered cracks, and U.S. regulators have begun an inquiry to figure out what’s going on.
For passengers, the only question that really matters is: Will this plane kill you? The short answer: Probably not. You can die on any airplane–but one experiencing the kind of scrutiny the 787 has been receiving is possibly even safer to fly. Pilots and airlines are hyper-vigilant, considering that the Dreamliner is making headlines practically by the day.
The longer answer: This is a messy situation for Boeing (BA), and for aviation authorities, both of which have certified the plane as safe after years of development and extensive testing. Flying remains the safest mode of transport, by an enormous margin, with your chance of dying in an airplane accident miniscule. Statistically, you would need to board a random flight each day for more than 21,000 years before you die in a crash, according to Richard Kebabjian, who runs the site PlaneCrashInfo.com.
In Japan, the two largest airlines grounded their two dozen 787s on Wednesday after pilots on a domestic All Nippon Airways smelled smoke and saw a warning alert about the batteries. The lithium-ion batteries used on the 787 have drawn close scrutiny after one such pack caught fire Jan. 7 on a Japan Airlines jet in Boston. United (UAL), the only U.S. airline to fly the jet so far, has not grounded its 787s, although one was out of service after pilots received error alerts and made an emergency landing Dec. 4 in New Orleans. “We are continuing to support Boeing and the FAA throughout their review,” United spokeswoman Christen David wrote Wednesday in an email. Eight airlines currently operate the plane.
To date, Boeing has chosen to keep its response to the problems brief and sparse, pending further investigation. “We are aware of the event and working with our customer” is the Chicago-based company’s standard reply when a new 787 incident arises. And for reporters, where there is smoke… Questions naturally arise about anything new, and the 787 is full of new stuff: carbon-fiber composites to make it lighter and more fuel efficient, the batteries, and the advanced electrical systems they power. After so many months of tests on the ground and in the air, though, shouldn’t those questions already be answered?
