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JAL Dreamliner aborts flight due to fuel pump issue

July 19, 2013, Boston, Ma. - A Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo returned to Boston on Thursday because of a possible fuel pump issue on the Boeing 787 aircraft.


July 19, 2013  By Carey Fredericks

It's the latest trouble for the new Dreamliner aircraft after a lithium ion battery problem grounded the fleet in January and a fire erupted on an empty Ethiopian Airlines plane parked at Britain's Heathrow Airport last week.

Flight 007 returned to Boston "as a standard precautionary measure'' to check out a maintenance message indicator showing the possible fuel pump problem and landed safely, Japan Airlines spokeswoman Carol Anderson said.

The pilot didn't declare an emergency, and the aircraft burned off fuel before landing, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac said.

The plane left for Tokyo just before 1 p.m. and returned just before 6:30 p.m.

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The flight was cancelled, and passengers were being put on other flights.

One of two battery fires that grounded the 787s for three months broke out on a Japan Airlines plane in Boston in January after passengers had exited. The next day, another Japan Airlines 787 leaked fuel at Logan. The airline said an open valve caused a tank to overflow through a vent.

The 787 is the newest and highest-profile plane from U.S.-based Boeing Co., which has said it stands behind its safety and overall integrity.

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