787 Heathrow fire

An Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 787 Dreamliner caught fire last Friday afternoon whilst on a remote stand at Heathrow.  It was a very hot day with temperatures over 90°F on the apron.  No persons were on board.

The airport emergency staff quickly put out and contained the blaze necessitating the closure of the airport for about two hours during a very busy period. 

The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said an initial investigation was likely to take several days.

On Saturday it reported "extensive heat damage in the upper portion of the rear fuselage, a complex part of the aircraft".

"However, it is clear that this heat damage is remote from the area in which the aircraft main and APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) batteries are located and at this stage there is no evidence of a direct causal relationship".

The consequences for Boeing could be serious depending on the cause of the blaze with a serious loss of confidence with passengers, airlines and investors. 

In January what at first viewing appeared to be similar instances took place at Boston (JAL) and airborne en route to Tokyo (ANA) resulting in the grounding of all 787s for two months.  There are currently just over 60 Dreamliners in airline service and a total order book of 930. www.boeing.com/commercial  www.aaib.gov.uk

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