Maintenance Briefing Note December 2015

Airbus Customer Services

Engineering & Maintenance

Maintenance Briefing
Note

Manage Lithium batteries in

maintenance.

This Maintenance Briefing Note shall raise awareness that best common
practice should be applied in the case of Lithium batteries to avoid
malfunction and the potential to catch fire.
Maintenance Briefing Note December 2015

Manage Lithium batteries in maintenance

Introduction:

There are different types of Lithium batteries used on commercial airplanes, depending on
the size of the battery itself, varying from medium-size batteries (like in Emergency Locator
Transmitter) up to large batteries (like aircraft batteries).

This Maintenance Briefing Note document aims at providing information on how to avoid
conditions that may lead to fire, and what to do in case of fire.

Lithium batteries technology:

Lithium batteries are more and more used since they bring significant improvements
compared with previous technology. They have a higher energy density, do not show any
memory effect, and finally demonstrate a slow loss of charge through time.
The battery cells may however take fire in case of extreme overheat or overcharge.
The most common reasons for Lithium battery fire are:
• Mishandling of the equipment damaging the battery
• Use of incorrect battery PN
• Incorrect storage conditions ( for example direct sunlight).

© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.

Maintenance Briefing Note December 2015

Manage Lithium batteries in maintenance

Concerned equipment:

This document covers Li-ion batteries which are used in various devices installed on Airbus
airplanes.
For example, the equipment listed below are using Li-ion batteries (non exhaustive list):
• Emergency Locator Transmitter
• Underwater Locator Beacon (for Cockpit Voice Recorder or Flight Data Recorder)
• Enhanced Quick Access Recorder (EQAR)
• Emergency Power Supply Unit
• Autonomous Standby Power Supply Unit
• Defibrillator.

Each of this device, when equipped with Lithium batteries requires particular handling
precautions.

Maintenance recommendations:

To prevent ignition of lithium battery cell, some best practices need to be followed. It is
strongly recommended to:
• Handle Lithium batteries as well as the device using these batteries with care,
• Do not install a battery with signs of damage,
• Do not drop a lithium battery (and do not install a dropped battery)
• Do not leave a lithium battery in direct sunshine, in hot environment (maintenance car
parked on tarmac) or close to a heat source
• Make sure that the battery PN corresponds to recommended PN (via CMM or Airbus IPC)

What to do in case of Lithium battery fire:

There are various publications that provide adequate recommendations to follow in such
circumstance:

• For fire on-board an airplane, refer to Flight or Cabin Crew Operating Manuals (FCOM or
CCOM - see CCOM extract attached).
• Further information are available with the FAA Safety Alert For Operators ref: SAFO 09013
(attached to this MBN).

© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.

Maintenance Briefing Note December 2015

Manage Lithium batteries in maintenance

© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.

Maintenance Briefing Note December 2015

Manage Lithium batteries in maintenance

© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.

Maintenance Briefing Note December 2015

© Airbus S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document. This document and all information contained herein is the sole property of AIRBUS. No intellectual property rights
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We appreciate receiving feedback to this issue of the Maintenance Briefing Notes.

Uwe Eggerling
Senior Director Safety
Engineering & Maintenance
Customer Services

Uwe.eggerling@airbus.com

This Maintenance Briefing Note (MBN) is part of a set of Briefing Notes that provide an overview of the applicable standards, techniques,
best practices, human factors, suggested company prevention strategies and personal lines-of-defense related to major threats and hazards
that may affect maintenance.

This MBN is intended to enhance the reader's safety awareness but it shall not supersede the applicable regulations and the Airbus or
airline's maintenance documentation; should any deviation appear between this MBN and the Airbus or airline’s maintenance
documentation, the latter shall prevail at all times.

In the interest of aviation safety, this MBN may be reproduced in whole or in part - in all media - or translated; any use of this MBN shall not
modify its contents or alter an excerpt from its original context. Any commercial use is strictly excluded. All uses shall credit Airbus.

Airbus shall have no liability or responsibility for the use of this MBN, the correctness of the duplication, adaptation or translation and for
the updating and revision of any duplicated version.

Airbus Customer Services

Maintenance Engineering Services
1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte - 31707 BLAGNAC CEDEX FRANCE

© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.