NTSB Investigating Air Transport of Lithium Batteries

This just got announced this afternoon - thought it might be of interest given
the recent CPF focus on lithium battery accidents. The NTSB does not have
any regulatory authority itself, but can and does suggest safety related
actions to the FAA and other Department of Transportation agencies.

George




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NTSB PRESS RELEASE
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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 19, 2006
SB-06-37

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NTSB ANNOUNCES TWO DAY HEARING TO EXAMINE SAFETY ISSUES
SURROUNDING CARGO FLIGHTS

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Washington, D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board
will convene a two-day hearing on July 12 & 13, 2006, to
consider safety issues surrounding cargo aircraft and the
potential risks of transporting cargo such as lithium
batteries. The hearing, part of the on-going investigation
of the February 8, 2006, fire on board a United Parcel
Service (UPS) DC-8 at Philadelphia International Airport
(PHL), will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the NTSB's Board Room and
Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, D.C.
Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated Member
Deborah Hersman as Chairwoman of the Hearing.

"The public hearing will focus on an accident that
occurred on a cargo plane that caught fire while carrying
potentially dangerous goods," said Member Hersman, "We will
examine this topic to determine what needs to be done to
protect the crew, the aircraft, and the cargo on these types
of flights."

On February 8 the UPS airplane landed at PHL after the
crew reported a cargo smoke indication. The three flightcrew
members received minor injuries, and fire caused substantial
damage to the airplane and numerous cargo containers on board.

During the two-day hearing representatives from the
NTSB, Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Boeing, and the
Independent Pilots Association will gather information from
industry and government representatives on several topics
including Airport Rescue and Firefighting response to the
UPS accident; the design, testing and recalls of lithium
batteries; regulations concerning the shipping of lithium
batteries; and aircraft fire detection and suppression
systems.

Information from the hearing will be used by the
Safety Board to prepare a final report on the accident,
including safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar
accidents in the future.

An agenda for the hearing will be posted on the
Board's website when available. The hearing will be webcast
on the Board's website at www.ntsb.gov.

##

NTSB Media Contact: Lauren Peduzzi
(202) 314-6100
[email protected]

Thanks, George!

Wow, this is timely! I was just thinking of asking for opinions on whether I should replace the 14500 in my Jet1 with a NiMH AA for my trip in a couple days.

http://www.ntsb.gov/events/2006/PhiladelphiaPA/default.htm

The hearings focused mostly on the construction and failure modes of lithium batteries. UPS Flight 1307 had packages of lithium-ion laptop batteries and flammable liquids onboard, but the cause of the fire that destroyed the DC-8 and its contents after the crew made an emergency landing at PHL remains unknown.

FAA official William Wilkening testified that there have been 60 incidents since 1991 that involved batteries catching on fire, smoking or getting hot, most of which were lithium or lithium-ion, and that in the past ten years the FAA has imposed 49 fines totaling $517,000 for improper packaging of lithium batteries for air transport.