Seat design guidance sought after BA 787 phone fire

Investigators are recommending that the UK Civil Aviation Authority require that passenger seat designs minimise the possibility of portable electronic devices being crushed, after a fire incident on board a BA Boeing 787-9 operating to Heathrow. But the Air Accidents Investigation Branch acknowledges difficulties in eliminating entirely the risk of such events. “There are currently no seat design requirements to prevent electronic devices from becoming trapped in seats,” it says. “Manufacturers and regulators are aware of this issue but it has proven challenging to find a workable solution.” The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the engineering standards association SAE International have taken action to derive new design criteria and practices, but the inquiry has made a separate formal recommendation to the CAA as the UK is no longer an EASA member. Investigators state that the seat involved in the BA incident was designed about 10 years ago. Story has full details.<br/>