Email

***This message is being sent from Scott Fancher, vice president
and general manager of the 787 program, to all 787 employees.***

ZA001 and ZA005 returning to Seattle, Laredo investigation continues

Team,



A lot has happened over the past few days as we investigate the incident
on ZA002 last week and we craft a path forward.



We have just filed a flight plan to bring ZA001 back to Seattle from
Rapid City, South Dakota. We anticipate that ZA005 will return back to
Seattle from Victorville, California soon as well. Re-positioning these
airplanes back to Seattle will better prepare us for any modifications
that are needed as a result of this event.



We also continue to focus on root cause of the event. As I said last
week, we have established that there was a failure in the P100 panel.
This failure caused an electrical fire which lasted less than 30
seconds. Damage was limited to the panel, adjacent insulation material
and a limited amount of structure.



Once the fault in the P100 panel cleared, the insulation material self
extinguished - just as it was designed to do. Once the event concluded,
the airplane was in a configuration that could have been sustained for
the time required to return to an airport suitable for landing from any
point in a typical 787 mission profile.



We have removed the P100 panel and it has been sent to Seattle for
further study. Although it is still too early to reach any definitive
conclusion about the root cause of this event, we have made good
progress in replicating the effects in our integration labs.  This is
the first step toward understanding potential corrective action. We all
owe a debt of gratitude to the dedicated team in Laredo and here in
Seattle that has worked tirelessly in the days since the incident to
better understand what happened.



No decision has been reached on when flight testing will resume. Before
that decision can be made, we must develop a more thorough understanding
of root cause and whether any design changes are necessary. Until that
time, we cannot determine the potential impact of this incident on the
overall program schedule.



Last week a reporter asked if I was embarrassed by this incident.
Without hesitation, I said, "No." Commercial airplanes are complex
products. We have made astounding leaps in our ability to test these
airplanes through computer modeling and in laboratories. The process of
flight testing is exponentially safer than it once was. But, it is still
a process of discovery. That's what flight test is for.



Before we made our first flight, we talked extensively about how
important it is in a flight test program to stay disciplined and
focused. We talked about the priority always being the safety of our
crews. Everything I have seen in this investigation reaffirms my pride
in this team for staying true to that priority.



During my visit to Laredo last week, I saw first hand how the team
working on ZA002 is staying focused and I talked to several crew members
who were on the airplane during the event.  We can all be proud of the
professional manner in which they conducted themselves. I see this
commitment to doing the right thing throughout the program.  



While the investigation progresses we must all continue to make progress
every day on both the 787-8 and -9. Your attention to the qualification
tests, design analysis, engineering releases, ground testing,
certification analysis, and service ready activities is very important
to this program. Our 787-9 team needs to keep moving forward on detailed
design as well.



Thank you for all that you are doing to make the 787 a great airplane.



Scott