A Boeing 787 Dreamliner headed from San Diego to Tokyo was diverted back to the San Diego International Airport Wednesday due to a problem with the airplane's anti/de-icing system.
According to San Diego Airport Authority officials, Japan Airlines Flight 65 took off from Lindbergh Field at 1:35 p.m. with no issues. A short time later, the flight turned around and returned to San Diego, landing at Terminal 2 by 3:10 p.m.
Representatives from Japan Airlines told NBC 7 San Diego that the pilot of the flight had received an “error” message regarding the operation of the anti/de-icing system. The pilot made the call to turn around and return to San Diego so repairs could be made to the system.
As of 5:15 p.m., airline officials said the repairs were expected to take a few hours.
NBC 7 spoke with one passenger who decided to deplane rather than wait out the repairs process. The passenger said about 10 people got off the plane, but the rest of the passengers waited on board.
San Diego Airport officials did say the plan was to have the flight take off again sometime Wednesday evening. The JAL flight is a weekly flight to Tokyo's Narita Airport from San Diego.
NBC 7 reached out to the FAA regarding the incident, but officials have not yet commented. The FAA’s primary public information officer is currently out of the office due to the government shutdown.
The 787 Dreamliner, Boeing’s newest and most technologically-advanced jet has been plagued by a series of problems since its launch, including a battery fire and fuel leaks.
Japan Airlines and Japan’s ANA are major customers for the jet, and among the first to fly it.
Back in January, the airlines grounded their Boeing 787 aircraft for safety checks after one was forced to make an emergency landing when a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected on board.
In March, a Boeing 787 with a redesigned battery system made a test flight, and the company said the event went well and "according to plan."
In late August, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its way to San Diego from Tokyo had to turn around and return to Japan due to maintenance issues stemming from a problem with the slat system. That particular incident caused some delays at Lindbergh Field.
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