Airlines find defective Dreamliner emergency locator transmitters

All Nippon Airways Co. of Japan said it has removed eight emergency locator transmitters from Dreamliner jets in the wake of a fire in London. The devices that help locate jets in the event of an emergency, were implicated in a report on a fire that damaged the ceiling of an Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner at London Heathrow Airport this month. Regulators from Europe, Japan and the United States have recommended airlines inspect the ELT devices on their Dreamliner jets, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Three defective ELT devices have since been found, two by All Nippon Airlines, which has 20 Dreamliner 787 jets in its fleet. Another defective device was found in a United Continental Holdings jet, the Journal said. A "pinched wire," was found in the United ELT, a spokeswoman for the company said. The airline has sent the device to the manufacturer, Honeywell International Inc., for inspection. United said its schedule would not be disrupted. A Boeing spokesman declined an invitation to comment on the three defective devices. The Seattle Times said Saturday Mike Sinnett, head of the 787 Dreamliner program, has been reassigned as vice president of product development, and 787 chief project engineer Bob Whittington has taken over the 787 program. "While there is never a perfect time to make changes, by making these moves, we are giving all of these individuals an opportunity to broaden their experience and to apply their knowledge and capability to other roles or on other programs," Mike Delaney, vice president of engineering at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, wrote in a memo.