Fire grounds Dreamliner test flights

US aerospace giant Boeing's delay-plagued 787 Dreamliner program suffered a fresh setback on Wednesday as the company halted all test flights following a fire aboard a test plane.
"We have decided to focus on ground testing and not fly the airplanes until we better understand the incident on ZA002," Loretta Gunter, a Boeing spokeswoman, told AFP.
Smoke filled the cabin of the ZA002, one of Boeing's six test 787s, on Tuesday, forcing an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas. The plane had departed from Yuma in Arizona.
The ZA002 test plane was painted in the livery of Japanese launch customer All Nippon Airways, and equipped with a Rolls-Royce engine.
"Right now, we don't see any connection with the engine," Ms Gunter said.
The British firm has been in the spotlight after a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 blew out in mid-air, forcing a Qantas Airbus A380 superjumbo to make an emergency landing earlier this month.
Boeing's 787s are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
The 787 delivery schedule had been pushed back in August from a target of early 2011 due to a delay in the availability of a Rolls-Royce engine.
Ms Gunter said a Rolls-Royce engine had exploded during ground tests in September.
It is the second time Boeing has halted 787 test flights, suspending them for "a couple of days" in June, she said, without explaining the reason.
At the time, US media reported it was because of problems with the plane's tail stabilisers.
Last week, Aviation Week reported that Boeing has warned some 787 Asian customers of delays of up to 10 months, citing industry sources.
The airlines affected were Korean Air, Air India and Japan Airlines, the industry publication said.
11/11/10 ABC News

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