(NBC NEWS) -- All Nippon Airways is grounding its fleet of 787
aircraft after a Tokyo-bound Dreamliner made an emergency landing in
southern Japan Wednesday after smoke appeared in the cockpit and
instruments indicated a battery error, Reuters reported.
NSK, the state news agency, reported that all 137 passengers aboard the flight were safely evacuated via emergency chutes.
The emergency landing was the latest
in a string of problems beleaguering Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner
superjet and comes after the Federal Aviation Administration announced
its intention to review the plane's design, manufacture and assembly.
The plane — Boeing's first to use
rechargeable lithium ion batteries and to be constructed with
lightweight composite materials — has been involved in several
emergencies in just the last two weeks.
Last Monday, an electrical fire
ignited in a Japan Airlines flight that had no passengers on board. A
day later, a fuel leak on another of that airline's 787s forced the
cancellation of take-off in Boston. And just a day after that, Japan's
All Nippon Airways said it was forced to cancel a 787 flight of its own
due to brake problems.
