Boeing 787 Operational problems 29-13

The Boeing 787 has been involved in multiple aviation incidents and operational problems. In December 2012, Boeing CEO James McNerney stated that the problems were no greater than those experienced with the introduction of other models such as the Boeing 777.^[289][290]

Operational problems

A JAL 787 experienced a fuel leak on January 8, 2013, and its flight from Boston was canceled.^[291] On January 9, United Airlines reported a problem in one of its six 787s with the wiring near the main batteries. After these incidents, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board subsequently opened a safety probe.^[292] Later, on January 11, 2013, another aircraft was found to have a fuel leak.^[293]

Also on January 11, 2013, the FAA announced a comprehensive review of the 787's critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly; U.S. Department of Transportation secretary Ray LaHood stated the administration was "looking for the root causes" behind the recent issues. The head of the FAA, Michael Huerta, said that so far nothing found "suggests [the 787] is not safe".^[294]

On January 13, 2013, a Japan Airlines 787 at Narita International Airport outside Tokyo, was found to also have a fuel leak during an inspection, the third time a fuel leak had been reported within a week. The aircraft reportedly was the same one that had a fuel leak in Boston on January 8.^[295] This leak was caused by a different valve; the causes of the leaks are unknown.^[296] Japan's transport ministry has also launched an investigation.^[297]

On July 12, 2013, a fire started on an empty Ethiopian Airlines 787 parked at Heathrow Airport before it was put out by the airport fire and rescue service. No injuries were reported.^[298][299] The fire caused extensive heat damage to the aircraft.^[300] The FAA and NTSB sent representatives to assist in the investigation.^[301] The initial investigation found no direct link with the aircraft's main batteries.^[302] Further investigations indicated that the fire was due to lithium-manganese dioxide batteries powering an emergency locator transmitter (ELT).^[303][304] The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issued a special bulletin on July 18, 2013 requesting the US FAA ensure that the locator is removed or disconnected in Boeing 787s, and to review the safety of lithium battery-powered ELT systems in other aircraft types.^[305]

On July 26, 2013, ANA said it had found wiring damage on two 787 locator beacons. United Airlines also reported that it had found a pinched wire in one 787 locator beacon.^[306] On August 14, 2013, the media reported a fire extinguisher fault affecting three ANA airplanes,^[307] which was caused by a supplier assembly error.^[308]

On September 28, 2013, Norwegian Long Haul decided to take one of its present two 787s out of service after the two aircraft broke down on more than six occasions in September.^[309] The company will lease an Airbus A340 for its long-haul operations while the 787 is returned to Boeing for repair.^[310]

Battery problems

Main article: Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery problems

The Aft Electronics Bay that held the JAL 787 battery that caught fire

Japan Airlines 787 battery comparison; Left: typical original battery. Right: damaged battery.

On January 16, 2013, All Nippon Airways Flight NH-692, en route from Ube to Tokyo Haneda, had a battery problem warning followed by a burning smell while climbing from Ube about 35 nautical miles west of Takamatsu, Japan. The aircraft diverted to Takamatsu and was evacuated via the slides; three passengers received minor injuries during the evacuation. Inspection revealed a battery fire. A similar incident in a parked Japan Airlines 787 at Boston's Logan International Airport within the same week led the Federal Aviation Administration to ground all Boeing 787s in service at the time.^[311]

On January 16, 2013, both major Japanese airlines ANA and JAL announced that they were voluntarily grounding or suspending flights for their fleets of 787s after multiple incidents involving different 787s, including emergency landings. These two carriers operate 24 of the 50 Dreamliners delivered to date.^[312][313] The grounding is reported to have cost ANA some 9 billion yen in lost sales.^[314][315]

On January 16, 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive ordering all U.S.-based airlines to ground their Boeing 787s until yet-to-be-determined modifications were made to the electrical system to reduce the risk of the battery overheating or catching fire.^[316] This was the first time that the FAA has grounded an airliner type since 1979.^[317] Industry experts disagreed on consequences of the grounding: Airbus was confident that Boeing would resolve the issue^[318] and that no airlines will switch plane type,^[319] while other experts saw the problem as "costly"^[320] and "could take upwards of a year".^[321]

The FAA also announced plans to conduct an extensive review of the 787's critical systems. The focus of the review will be on the safety of the lithium-ion batteries^[317] made of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCo). The 787 battery contract was signed in 2005,^[193] when LiCo batteries were the only type of lithium aerospace battery available, but since then newer and safer^[322] types (such as LiFePO), which provide less reaction energy during thermal runaway, have become available.^[191][323] FAA approved a 787 battery in 2007 with nine "special conditions".^[324][325] A battery approved by FAA (through Mobile Power Solutions) was made by Rose Electronics using Kokam cells;^[326] the batteries installed in the 787 are made by Yuasa.^[189]

On January 20, the NTSB declared that overvoltage was not the cause of the Boston incident, as voltage did not exceed the battery limit of 32 V,^[327] and the charging unit passed tests. The battery had signs of short circuiting and thermal runaway.^[328] Despite this, the NTSB announced on January 24 that it had not yet pinpointed the cause of the Boston fire; the FAA will not allow U.S.-based Dreamliners to fly again until the problem is found and corrected. In a press briefing that day, NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said that the NTSB had found evidence of failure of multiple safety systems designed to prevent these battery problems, and stated that fire must never happen on an airplane.^[329]

The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) has said on January 23 that the battery in ANA jets in Japan reached a maximum voltage of 31 V (below the 32 V limit like the Boston JAL 787), but had a sudden unexplained voltage drop^[330] to near zero.^[331] All cells had signs of thermal damage before thermal runaway.^[332] ANA and JAL had replaced several 787 batteries before the mishaps.^[331] As of January 29, 2013, JTSB approved the Yuasa factory quality control^[333][334] while the NTSB continues to look for defects in the Boston battery.^[335] The two major battery thermal runaway events in 100,000 flight hours was much higher than the rate of one in 10 million flight hours that Boeing predicted.^[311]

The only U.S.-based airline that operated the Dreamliner at the time was United Airlines, which had six.^[336] Chile's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) grounded LAN Airlines' three 787s.^[337] The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed Air India to ground its six Dreamliners. The Japanese Transport Ministry made the ANA and JAL groundings official and indefinite following the FAA announcement.^[11] The European Aviation Safety Agency has also followed the FAA's advice and grounded the only two European 787s operated by LOT Polish Airlines.^[338] Qatar Airways has announced that they are grounding their five Dreamliners.^[339] Ethiopian Air was the final operator to announce temporary groundings of its four Dreamliners.^[340] By January 17, 2013, all 50 of the aircraft delivered to date had been grounded.^{[340][341][342]}

On January 18, Boeing announced that it was halting 787 deliveries until the battery problem is resolved.^[343] On February 7, 2013, the FAA gave approval for Boeing to conduct 787 test flights to gather additional data.^[344][345] In February 2013, FAA oversight into the 2007 safety approval and certification of the 787 have come under scrutiny.^[346]

On March 7, 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board released an interim factual report about the 787 battery fire at Boston's Logan Airport on January 7, 2013. The investigation^[347] stated that "heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the APU battery case". Firefighters "tried fire extinguishing, but smoke and flame (flame size about 3 inches) did not stop".^[348][349]

Boeing completed its final tests on a revised battery design on April 5, 2013. Qatar Airways said it expected to have its Dreamliners back in revenue service by the end of April.^[350] The FAA approved Boeing's revised battery design with three additional, overlapping protection methods on April 19, 2013. The FAA published a directive on April 25 to provide instructions for retrofitting battery hardware before the 787s can return to flight.^[351][352] The repairs are expected to be completed in weeks.^[353]

Following the FAA approval in the United States,^[354] Japan gave permission for passenger airlines to resume Boeing 787 flights in the country effective April 26, 2013.^[355] On April 27, 2013, Ethiopian Airlines took a 787 on the model's first commercial flight after battery system modifications.^{[352][354][356]}

Commissioner of Canada Elections Announces the Laying of Canada Elections : Act Charges Dean Del Mastro and Richard McCarthy are charged

Commissioner of Canada Elections Announcesthe Laying of Canada Elections Act Charges

OTTAWA, September 26, 2013

• Pursuant to a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Commissioner of Canada Elections, Mr. Yves Côté, has announced his office has laid four charges under the Canada Elections Act, a federal statute.
• The charges were filed on September 26, 2013 in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough.
• Dean Del Mastro and Richard McCarthy are charged with:
  • incurring election expenses in an amount more than the election expenses limit, contrary to subsection 443(1) of the Act, thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(p) and 500(5) of the Act;
  • providing the Chief Electoral Officer an electoral campaign return that omitted to report a contribution of $21,000.00, omitted to report an election expense of $21,000.00 and instead reported an election expense of $1,575.00, and in so doing provided a document referred to in subsection 451(1) of the Act that each knew or ought reasonably to have known contained a material statement that was false or misleading, contrary to paragraph 463(1)(a) of the Act, thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(v) and 500(5) of the Act;
  • providing to the Chief Electoral Officer an electoral campaign return that omitted to report a contribution of $21,000.00, omitted to report an election expense of $21,000.00 and instead reported an election expense of $1,575.00, and in so doing knowingly provided a document referred to in subsection 451(1) of the Act that did not substantially set out the information required by subsection 451(2), contrary to paragraph 463(1)(b) of the Act, thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(v) and 500(5) of the Act.
• Dean Del Mastro is also charged with:
  • wilfully exceeding the contribution limit for a candidate in his own election campaign, thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(f.13) and 500(5) of the Act.
• The Commissioner of Canada Elections is responsible for ensuring that the Canada Elections Act and Referendum Actare complied with and enforced. The Chief Electoral Officer appoints the Commissioner under theCanada Elections Act.

"In our electoral system, it is fundamentally important that the spending and contribution limits enacted by Parliament be respected.  It is also essential that the reports and information provided to Elections Canada be accurate and truthful," said Mr. Côté. "The level-playing field principle and the requirement for transparency call for nothing less.  We will continue to be vigilant to ensure that these rules are observed."

Charge no. 1

That Dean Del Mastro, being a candidate in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, and Richard McCarthy, being the official agent of candidate Dean Del Mastro in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, did wilfully, between September 14, 2008 and October 14, 2008, at or near the City of Peterborough, the City of Ottawa and elsewhere in the Province of Ontario, incur election expenses in an amount that was more than the election expenses limit of $92,655.79 calculated under section 440 of the Canada Elections Act for the electoral district of Peterborough in that election, contrary to subsection 443(1) of the said Act; thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(p) and 500(5) of the Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9, as amended;

Charge no. 2

And further, that Dean Del Mastro, being a candidate in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, between September 14, 2008 and October 14, 2008, at or near the City of Peterborough, the City of Ottawa and elsewhere in the Province of Ontario, did pay an election expense of $21,000.00 out of his own funds, thereby making a contribution and, in so doing, wilfully exceeded the contribution limit of $2,100.00 for a candidate in his own election campaign as calculated under subsections 405(1), 405(4)(a) and section 405.1 of the Canada Elections Act, contrary to subsection 405(1) of the said Act; thereby committing an offence contrary subsections 497(3)(f.13) and 500(5) of the Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9, as amended;

Charge no. 3

And further, that Dean Del Mastro, being a candidate in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, and Richard McCarthy, being the official agent of candidate Dean Del Mastro in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, did, between February 9, 2009 and February 13, 2009, at or near the City of Peterborough, the City of Ottawa and elsewhere in the Province of Ontario, provide to the Chief Electoral Officer an electoral campaign return that omitted to report a contribution of $21,000.00 from Dean Del Mastro to his campaign, omitted to report an election expense of $21,000.00 and instead reported an election expense of $1,575.00, and in so doing did provide to the Chief Electoral Officer a document referred to in subsection 451(1) of the Canada Elections Act that each of them knew or ought reasonably to have known contained a material statement that was false or misleading, contrary to paragraph463(1)(a) of the said Act; thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(v) and 500(5) of the Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9, as amended;

Charge no. 4

And further, that Dean Del Mastro, being a candidate in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, and Richard McCarthy, being the official agent of candidate Dean Del Mastro in the 40th federal general election in the electoral district of Peterborough, did, between February 9, 2009 and February 13, 2009, at or near the City of Peterborough, the City of Ottawa and elsewhere in the Province of Ontario, provide to the Chief Electoral Officer an electoral campaign return that omitted to report a contribution of $21,000.00 from Dean Del Mastro to his campaign, omitted to report an election expense of $21,000.00 and instead reported an election expense of $1,575.00, and in so doing did knowingly provide to the Chief Electoral Officer a document referred to in subsection 451(1) of the Canada Elections Act that did not substantially set out the information required by subsection 451(2), contrary to paragraph 463(1)(b) of the said Act; thereby committing an offence contrary to subsections 497(3)(v) and 500(5) of the Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9, as amended.

Researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (The Neuro), McGill University and Université de Montréal have published a study showing that memory pathology in older mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be reversed with treatment. The researchers discovered

Researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (The Neuro), McGill University and Université de Montréal have published a study showing that memory pathology in older mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be reversed with treatment. The researchers discovered that blocking the activity of a specific receptor in the brain of mice with advanced AD recovers memory and cerebrovascular function. The results, published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, also suggest an underlying mechanism of AD as a potential target for new therapies.

“The exciting and important aspect of this study is that even animals with advanced pathology can be rescued with this molecule,” says Dr. Edith Hamel, neuroscientist at The Neuro and lead investigator on the paper in collaboration with Dr. Réjean Couture in the Department of Physiology at Université de Montréal. “We have rarely seen this type of reversal of AD symptoms before in our mouse model at this advanced age – when mice have been developing AD for one year.”

The researchers found an increased level of a receptor known as bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R) in the brain of mice with AD, a receptor involved in inflammation. “By administering a molecule that selectively blocks the action of this receptor, we observed important improvements in both cognitive and cerebrovascular function,” says Dr. Baptiste Lacoste, research fellow at The Neuro during the period of the study. “Alzheimer’s disease destroys nerve cells and also compromises the function of blood vessels in the brain. Not only were there improvements in learning and memory, but also marked recovery in blood flow and vascular reactivity, meaning the ability of cerebral vessels to dilate or constrict when necessary.”

Proper functioning of blood vessels in the brain is vital to providing nutrients and oxygen to nerve cells, and vascular diseases represent important risk factors for developing AD at an advanced age.

“Another interesting result that has not been seen before in our mouse model is a reduction by over 50 per cent of toxic amyloid-beta peptide,” adds Dr. Hamel. “In Alzheimer’s disease, protein fragments called amyloid-beta have a deleterious effect on the blood and nervous systems. Normally, these protein fragments are broken down and removed. In Alzheimer’s disease, the protein fragments clump together — a factor believed to contribute to neuronal and vascular dysfunction. We are not sure if these decreases contribute to the functional recovery, but we hope that our findings will aid in clarifying this issue and identifying new targets for therapeutic approaches.”

The results show that an increase in B1R is associated with amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s disease mice with impaired memory, and that chronic blockade of B1R significantly improves learning, memory, cerebrovascular function, and several other pathological AD hallmarks in mice with a fully developed pathology. Together, these findings confirm a role of B1R in AD pathogenesis and the role of neuroinflammation as an underlying mechanism in AD. The next step would be to further investigate potential blockers of the bradykinin B1R as a potential treatment for AD in humans.

This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a postdoctoral fellowship award from the Alzheimer Society of Canada, and can be found at www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/10/1/57/abstract.

School must stop using the cloud service : A school in Sollentuna

School must stop using the cloud service


September 17, 2013


A school in Sollentuna using cloud service, Google Apps for Education must either sign an agreement with Google, which comply with the Personal Data Act, or stop using the cloud service.


Data Inspection Board has reviewed Rudbecksskolan in Sollentuna using cloud service Google Apps for Education in their business. All teachers and students have to open an account with Google to get access to the tools needed for schoolwork.


The Authority notes that the school has not taken a specific so-called personal data assistant contracts with cloud service provider Google. The agreement has no particular instructions and limitations on the cloud service provider to handle the personal data occurs. The agreement also lacks data on safety Google is obliged to take to protect personal data being handled.


Data Inspectorate submits therefore that the school either as soon sign a personal data assistant contracts that meet the rules of the Data Protection Act, or stop using the cloud service.


- In the right school environment where such privacy-sensitive personal data relating to children and young people may be, it is especially important that those responsible really makes sure that personal data are handled in a legal manner, says Ingela Alverfors who led the review.


Read Data Services Authority in pdf format

Continued against the municipality to use cloud services

Continued against the municipality to use cloud services


June 10, 2013


The contract Salem municipality would subscribe to use Google's cloud service is not enough, says Information Commissioner.Either the shortcomings of the agreement addressed or municipality must stop using the cloud service.


2011 criticized the Data Inspection Salem municipality for its use of a cloud service from Google. The criticism concerned the lack of agreement meant that it did not comply with the rules of the Data Protection Act. The agreement gave Google too much space to process personal data for their own purposes. Moreover, did not the subcontractors who are involved and what happens to personal data when the contract ends.


Salem Municipality was requested to draw up a new agreement. Data Inspection Board has reviewed the new agreement, noting that the previous shortcomings persist.


- Therefore, we must once again submit to the municipality to either remedy the shortcomings of the agreement or to stop using the cloud service, says Ingela Alverfors, lawyer at the Swedish Data Inspection Board.


Read Data Services Authority in pdf format

Sweden's Data Inspection Board (Datainspektionen) has told a Stockholmschool that they must either desist from using a Google cloud service

Sweden's Data Inspection Board (Datainspektionen) has told a Stockholmschool that they must either desist from using a Google cloud service or sign an agreement with the US firm which complies with the Personal Data Act.







It is especially important in a school environment, where there is sensitive private personal data relating to children and young people, that those responsible really make sure that personal data is handled in a legal manner," said Ingela Alverfors at the Data Inspection Board in a statement.
The school in question is the Rudbeck school in Sollentuna in northern Stockholm which uses the Google Apps for Education service which requires all teachers and pupils to open a Google account.

The Data Inspection Board has established that the school lacks an agreement with the US firm to cover the protection and management of personal information. The agreement would cover instructions and stipulate limits for handling data.

The school has therefore been instructed to establish such an agreement with Google in order to ensure the privacy and integrity of the students in its care. If the school declines to do so then they have been told to stop using the service.

Mobility rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms do not give a Canadian citizen the automatic right to serve his or her prison sentence in Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled today.

Mobility rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms do not give a Canadian citizen the automatic right to serve his or her prison sentence in Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled today.

In Divito v. Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), the top court dismissed an appeal from Pierino Divito who argued his mobility rights were violated when then-Public Safety minister Vic Toews rejected his attempts to serve the remainder of his U.S. prison sentence in Canada. Toews claimed Divito’s connections to organized crime could pose a threat to Canadians.

Divito was sentenced on drug charges in connection with a massive Canadian drug bust in 1994. After serving two-thirds of his sentence in Canada, he was extradited to the United States on separate drug charges. He filed two applications to be transferred back to a Canadian prison, but to no avail. Divito, 76, has since finished serving his sentence and is now living in Montreal.

The SCC unanimously dismissed the appeal but was split on whether there was a technical violation of s. 6 of the Charter.

Aaron Harnett, a criminal defence lawyer in Toronto, calls Divito’s argument “a stretch.”

“All justices of the Supreme Court found that a Canadian serving a sentence abroad has no right to demand the Canadian government allow him to come back and serve his sentence in Canada. It didn’t even come close,” he tells Legal Feeds.

In the decision, Justice Rosalie Abella wrote: “The ability of prisoners to serve their sentence in Canada is therefore a creation of legislation. Independent of the [International Transfer of Offenders Act], there is no right to serve a foreign prison sentence in Canada. In my view, although the ITOA contemplates a mechanism by which a citizen may return to Canada in the limited context of continuing incarceration for the purpose of serving their foreign sentence, s. 6(1) does not confer a right on Canadian citizens to serve their foreign sentences in Canada.

“Independent of the ITOA, there is no right to serve a foreign prison sentence in Canada. The ITOA was not intended to create a right for Canadian citizens to require Canada to administer their foreign sentence. Nor does it impose a duty on the Canadian government to permit all such citizens to serve their foreign sentences in Canada,” she added.

Harnett says he doesn’t expect the ruling to have much effect on other cases.

“It is unlikely to have a widespread, negative impact on Canadians who are seeking to transfer their sentences to Canada. The reason is the mechanism that is in place for the exercise of discretion is one that is subject to judicial review and the minister’s discretion still has to be exercised taking into account Charter values,” he says.