FAA Grounds Dreamliner: Aviation attorney Mary Schiavo discusses recent action
Former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General and Motley Rice aviation attorney Mary Schiavo reacted to the FAA's recent action to ground all Boeing 787 Dreamliners until the aircraft manufacturer can resolve its problem with faulty, lithium-ion batteries. These types of batteries have been known to catch fire in cell phone, laptops and electric cars.
Schiavo told Wall Street Journal TV, "This is exactly what should be happening. Kudos to JAL and All Nippon Airways for taking the initial action to say they will not fly the aircraft" until the lithium ion battery and electrical issues are resolved.
She calls this recent battery issue "a big safety concern," adding that it is an anomaly when something like this happens once in the aviation industry but that it is a trend when it happens twice in the aviation environment.
When asked about the FAA's certification of an aircraft that runs on a lithium-ion battery, a battery that has not been used to this extent in an aircraft before and one that has a history of safety concerns (including overheating and catching fire), Mary told CNBC, "The FAA, last week in their press conference, admitted they were not confident of their certification work . . . the FAA has some explaining to do and has a black eye on this one."
Learn more about these issues, and watch or read the following interviews with Mary:
The Guardian - Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013
Bloomberg - Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
CNBC - Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
Fox Business - Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
Wall Street Journal TV - Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
Charleston, S.C.'s WCIV Channel 4 - Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013