UPDATED 15:14 PM EST, January 23, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama administration officials are struggling to defend their initial statements that the Boeing 787 is safe. They are promising a transparent probe of mishaps involving the aircraft's batteries.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stood by his Jan. 11 assertion that the 787, Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced airliner, was safe. At that time, he and the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Michael Huerta, declared the plane fit to fly despite a battery fire in one plane.
