Narrative:

Just prior to XXXX north EICAS status message bat charger main, main battery message changes to main bat overheat, main battery. Satcom to patch to maintenance to discuss concerns over message and lack of information to deal with message. Curious of battery location, maintenance calls back with main bat location. Message back to main bat charger main battery. Show slight discharge on elec page, first officer flying jet. Captain elects to check ee compartment to visually check bat. Captain finds bat warm and all appears normal. New call to maintenance to discuss ways of dealing with situation if occurs again. Maintenance suggests if happens again pull circuit breaker P320 K-9 main battery. Believe situation under control. Continue monitor elec page. At xa:15Z main battery charger reengages voltage 27 charging amps 27, rapidly rises to 26V 62 amps. Xa:29Z captain elects to go to ee compartment due to previous knowledge of location and pull circuit breaker P320 K-9. Upon entering ee battery is rapidly emitting smoke. No time for pbe. Time critical. Captain pulls P320 K-9. Captain back in cockpit, test, brief to #1 flight attendant, PA to passenger, mayday call to ZZZ on VHF. ZZZ1 nearest suitable, VFR. Request arff with infrared capability xa:39Z battery overheat message back. Cleared direct ZZZ1 first officer flying captain check lists smoke fumes fire elect, due to fumes in cabin attendant. Smoke fume removal, emergency landing checklist and normals. ILS 29 normal landing. Stop on runway fire crew check aircraft with infrared and visual of battery in compartment ok. Taxi to gate. I feel this status message needs a procedure and checklist to deal with this in future. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the second trip to the equipment bay was forced due to the rapid rise in amperage 62 amps and the requirement to pull the charger circuit breaker. The reporter said on entering the equipment bay the battery was emitting smoke and the circuit breaker was immediately pulled. The reporter stated a short time later the battery overheat message was displayed on the status page. The reporter then declared an emergency and diverted. The reporter stated the lack of information in the flight operations manual on battery overheat procedures and the total lack of circuit breaker location charts should be corrected. Callback from acn 552788 the reporter stated the first message was a low level status message that required no action by the crew. The reporter said no procedures were found in the flight operations manual on an overheated battery and no circuit breaker location charts are carried in the cockpit anymore. The reporter stated that after the second trip by the captain to the equipment bay to pull the battery circuit breaker the battery overheat message came on. The reporter said when on the ground maintenance decided to swap the APU battery with the main ship's battery. The reporter stated when removing the main ship's battery the technicians incurred a skin burn to his arm from the battery case.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B777 IN CRUISE AT FL370 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO A MAIN SHIPS BATTERY OVERHEATING WITH SMOKE AND FUMES.

Narrative: JUST PRIOR TO XXXX N EICAS STATUS MSG BAT CHARGER MAIN, MAIN BATTERY MSG CHANGES TO MAIN BAT OVERHEAT, MAIN BATTERY. SATCOM TO PATCH TO MAINT TO DISCUSS CONCERNS OVER MSG AND LACK OF INFO TO DEAL WITH MSG. CURIOUS OF BATTERY LOCATION, MAINT CALLS BACK WITH MAIN BAT LOCATION. MSG BACK TO MAIN BAT CHARGER MAIN BATTERY. SHOW SLIGHT DISCHARGE ON ELEC PAGE, FO FLYING JET. CAPT ELECTS TO CHK EE COMPARTMENT TO VISUALLY CHK BAT. CAPT FINDS BAT WARM AND ALL APPEARS NORMAL. NEW CALL TO MAINT TO DISCUSS WAYS OF DEALING WITH SIT IF OCCURS AGAIN. MAINT SUGGESTS IF HAPPENS AGAIN PULL CB P320 K-9 MAIN BATTERY. BELIEVE SIT UNDER CTL. CONTINUE MONITOR ELEC PAGE. AT XA:15Z MAIN BATTERY CHARGER REENGAGES VOLTAGE 27 CHARGING AMPS 27, RAPIDLY RISES TO 26V 62 AMPS. XA:29Z CAPT ELECTS TO GO TO EE COMPARTMENT DUE TO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF LOCATION AND PULL CB P320 K-9. UPON ENTERING EE BATTERY IS RAPIDLY EMITTING SMOKE. NO TIME FOR PBE. TIME CRITICAL. CAPT PULLS P320 K-9. CAPT BACK IN COCKPIT, TEST, BRIEF TO #1 FA, PA TO PAX, MAYDAY CALL TO ZZZ ON VHF. ZZZ1 NEAREST SUITABLE, VFR. REQUEST ARFF WITH INFRARED CAPABILITY XA:39Z BATTERY OVERHEAT MSG BACK. CLRED DIRECT ZZZ1 FO FLYING CAPT CHK LISTS SMOKE FUMES FIRE ELECT, DUE TO FUMES IN CAB. SMOKE FUME REMOVAL, EMER LNDG CHKLIST AND NORMALS. ILS 29 NORMAL LNDG. STOP ON RWY FIRE CREW CHK ACFT WITH INFRARED AND VISUAL OF BATTERY IN COMPARTMENT OK. TAXI TO GATE. I FEEL THIS STATUS MSG NEEDS A PROCEDURE AND CHKLIST TO DEAL WITH THIS IN FUTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE SECOND TRIP TO THE EQUIP BAY WAS FORCED DUE TO THE RAPID RISE IN AMPERAGE 62 AMPS AND THE REQUIREMENT TO PULL THE CHARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER. THE RPTR SAID ON ENTERING THE EQUIP BAY THE BATTERY WAS EMITTING SMOKE AND THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS IMMEDIATELY PULLED. THE RPTR STATED A SHORT TIME LATER THE BATTERY OVERHEAT MSG WAS DISPLAYED ON THE STATUS PAGE. THE RPTR THEN DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED. THE RPTR STATED THE LACK OF INFO IN THE FLT OPS MANUAL ON BATTERY OVERHEAT PROCS AND THE TOTAL LACK OF CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION CHARTS SHOULD BE CORRECTED. CALLBACK FROM ACN 552788 THE RPTR STATED THE FIRST MSG WAS A LOW LEVEL STATUS MSG THAT REQUIRED NO ACTION BY THE CREW. THE RPTR SAID NO PROCS WERE FOUND IN THE FLT OPS MANUAL ON AN OVERHEATED BATTERY AND NO CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION CHARTS ARE CARRIED IN THE COCKPIT ANYMORE. THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE SECOND TRIP BY THE CAPT TO THE EQUIP BAY TO PULL THE BATTERY CIRCUIT BREAKER THE BATTERY OVERHEAT MSG CAME ON. THE RPTR SAID WHEN ON THE GND MAINT DECIDED TO SWAP THE APU BATTERY WITH THE MAIN SHIP'S BATTERY. THE RPTR STATED WHEN REMOVING THE MAIN SHIP'S BATTERY THE TECHNICIANS INCURRED A SKIN BURN TO HIS ARM FROM THE BATTERY CASE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.