)
A Honeywell International Inc beacon has been linked to last week's fire on a Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner and should be deactivated on all of the planes, UK investigators said.
The emergency locator transmitter can be removed quickly and won't involve idling the jets, Boeing said on Thursday after the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch urged that the units be disabled. The AAIB stopped short of saying the device caused the fire at London's Heathrow airport, saying only that the blaze "coincides" with the ELT's location on the 787.
The July 12 fire was the most-serious setback for Boeing's marquee jet since regulators grounded the global fleet for three months after meltdowns of lithium-ion batteries in the 787's power systems in January.
The ELT batteries' chemistry is different, and the AAIB said U.S. regulators should lead a review into lithium-battery powered transmitters on other planes.
