A fire that damaged a Boeing 787 sitting at London's Heathrow Airport on Friday does not appear to be related to the battery issues that grounded the airplane earlier this year. Investigators haven't figured out what caused the damage on top of the fuselage near the tail of the plane, but early indications do not point to the airplane's previously problematic batteries.
"Heat damage is remote from the area in which the aircraft main and APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) batteries are located," the AAIB said in a statement. "At this stage, there is no evidence of a direct causal relationship."
The Ethiopian Airways 787 had been parked for several hours and there was nobody on board the airplane when the incident occurred. The damage to the fuselage just in front of the vertical stabilizer appears to be significant, exposing the internal structure within the composite fuselage.
Early reports pointed to a crew rest area, which is an option on 787s and is located in the area where the damage occurred, but the Ethiopian Airways aircraft is not equipped with the bunks.
System supplier Honeywell confirmed it is participating in the investigation, but added that it's too early to speculate on the cause. The company makes several components on the Dreamliner, including the emergency locator transmitter which is mounted in the damaged area. The Honeywell ELT has been in service with numerous airliners since 2005 and no issues have ever been reported with the device.
Earlier this year, the 787 Dreamliner was grounded for more than three months after a two separate incidents involving the main batteries on board the aircraft resulted in severe heat damage. In addition to redesigning the batteries and the system on board the airplane, Boeing developed a new containment cell they say eliminates the chance of a fire related to the lithium-ion power sources.
Both of the 63-pound main batteries are located on the lower section of the airplane, nowhere near where the damage occurred to the Ethiopian Airways Dreamliner.
The damage to the 787 will likely be the first major repair of the new composite airliner. There are several techniques that can be used to fix the airplane, though it is not yet known what will need to be done to make the airplane airworthy again.
