The National Transportation Safety Board has directed the Federal Aviation Administration to develop rigorous abuse tests for permanently installed rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
Safety recommendation
The National Transportation Safety Board has directed the Federal Aviation Administration to develop rigorous abuse tests for permanently installed rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
The National Transportation Safety Board, identified by reference number DCA13IA037, has issued safety recommendation A-14-032 addressed directly to the Federal Aviation Administration. This directive mandates the development of specific abuse tests designed to subject a single cell within a permanently installed, rechargeable lithium-ion battery to thermal runaway conditions. The objective is to demonstrate that the battery installation effectively mitigates all hazardous effects associated with propagation to other cells, as well as the release of electrolyte, fire, or explosive debris outside the battery case. These required tests must replicate the actual battery installation on the aircraft and be conducted under conditions engineered to produce the most severe possible outcome. This recommendation underscores the need for rigorous validation of battery safety systems in aviation applications.