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Boeing 787 Catches Fire at Heathrow Boeing 787 Catches Fire In London
(about 4 hours later)
An internal fire broke out on Friday on a Boeing 787 that Ethiopian Airlines had parked between flights at London’s Heathrow Airport, the airport said. Just two months after Boeing seemed to have left the problems with its 787 Dreamliner behind, it suffered another setback on Friday, when a fire broke out inside an Ethiopian Airlines 787 parked at Heathrow Airport in London.
The plane was in a remote area, and no passengers were on board. But the airport temporarily suspended arrivals and departures on its two runways while fire crews responded to the incident at 4:36 p.m. local time, several hours before the plane, named the Queen of Sheba, was scheduled to depart for Ethiopia. By 6 p.m., the runways had reopened, and traffic was returning to normal. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or how serious the repercussions would be. But investors, mindful that hazards with the jet’s batteries had led to the grounding of the entire fleet from January to April, reacted nervously, sending Boeing’s shares down 4.7 percent.
Boeing said it was aware of the problem, but the airport, the airline and Boeing have not identified the cause of the fire. Smoke came from the plane, named the Queen of Sheba, eight hours after it had been parked in a remote space at Heathrow and about four and a half hours before it was scheduled to depart for Ethiopia. No passengers were on the plane, which was connected to an external ground power source, according to people briefed on the incident.
The incident took place about two months after the innovative 787 Dreamliners returned to the skies after being grounded for four months because of hazards with a new type of battery. One of the lithium-ion batteries caught fire on a 787 parked at a Boston airport on Jan. 9, and another began smoking in midflight a week later, forcing the 787 to make an emergency landing in Japan. It was also not clear if any maintenance was under way or how long the fire had been burning, though it was intense enough to burn through its carbon-composite skin on the top of the fuselage near the tail.
Regulators lifted the grounding orders after Boeing came up with a plan to refit the first 50 or so of the new jets with more insulation between the battery cells and a new system for venting smoke or hazardous gases out of the planes. Ethiopian Airlines has four 787s in its fleet. That area was not next to either of the plane’s new lithium-ion batteries, which caught fire or emitted smoke in two earlier incidents that led to the grounding of the first 50 787s. Unless they were charging, aviation experts said, the batteries would not have been in use if the plane were connected to ground power.
Boeing said that while the planes were grounded, it had also made changes in electrical panels that had failed on occasion since the planes were introduced into service in late 2011. A team of British safety investigators began examining the plane shortly after the fire was put out. But no one involved — the investigators, Boeing, the airline or the airport — commented on the possible cause of the fire.
At Heathrow, the plane appeared to have sustained damage on the crown of the fuselage near its rear, which would not be near either of the two batteries. Television footage and photographs showed fire damage near the base of the vertical stabilizer that appeared to burn through the plane’s carbon composite skin. Some wiring could run near the area where the damage was visible. Other experts said that some of the plane’s wiring, and the oxygen systems for passengers, would have passed through the damaged area, which was above the rear galley. It was also possible the fire migrated from another part of the plane, they said.
But the main electrical panels and generators are in the center of the plane, below the passenger floor. That is also where one of the two lithium-ion batteries is situated. The second is near the front of the plane, under the cockpit. Richard L. Aboulafia, an aviation consultant at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va., said the possibilities ranged from “something pretty benign,” like a lit cigarette or a coffee machine left on, to a serious flaw in the plane’s new electrical system, which includes other innovative components besides the batteries. Or, he said, it could be something “not as easy or as terrible,” like a component that was installed incorrectly.
Britain’s Air Accidents Investigations Branch said it had sent a team of experts to Heathrow to look at the plane. In Washington, the National Transportation Safety Board said it would also send an investigator. The Heathrow incident was not the only problem aboard a 787 on Friday. Thomson Airways, a charter airline, said that one of its Dreamliner planes traveling from Manchester Airport in England to Orlando-Sanford International Airport in Florida had to turn back “as a precautionary measure.”
The Heathrow incident was not the only problem aboard a 787 on Friday. Thomson Airways said that one of its Dreamliner planes traveling from England to Florida had to turn back after experiencing a technical issue, according to The Associated Press. The fire on the Ethiopian 787 forced Heathrow Airport to temporarily suspend arrivals and departures while fire crews responded to the incident at 4:36 p.m. local time. Once the fire was extinguished around 6 p.m., the runways reopened.
Thomson, a British charter airline, said that Flight 126 traveling from Manchester Airport to Sanford, Fla., had returned to Manchester “as a precautionary measure.” It said all passengers had left the plane and engineers were inspecting it. Friday’s incidents took place about two months after the 787 Dreamliners returned to the skies after being grounded over the battery problems. One of the new lithium-ion batteries caught fire on a 787 parked at a Boston airport on Jan. 7, and another began smoking in midflight nine days later, forcing a 787 to make an emergency landing in Japan.
Boeing has delivered 66 787s so far, with orders totaling 930 planes — an important anchor for its revenues over the next two decades. The company’s stock, which had rallied in recent months, fell more than 7 percent after news of the incident broke, but recovered somewhat later in the day to close at $101.87, off 4.7 percent. Regulators lifted the grounding orders after Boeing came up with a plan to refit the first 50 to 60 of the new jets with more insulation between the battery cells and a new system for venting smoke or hazardous gases out of the planes. Ethiopian Airlines has four 787s, and the one that had the fire at Heathrow was the first 787 to return to service at any airline after the grounding ended.
Both Boeing and airlines around the world had hoped to put the problems behind them after fixing the battery issue. Another round of uncertainty over what caused the fire could provoke anxiety among passengers who could be more reluctant to fly on a new plane, or lead some airlines to delay or defer their orders. Aviation analysts said that Boeing’s battery problems had cost it hundreds of millions of dollars and slowed its progress in fielding the planes. Boeing said that while the planes were grounded, it also made changes in electrical components that had failed on occasion since the planes began to fly in late 2011.
The 787 has a large number of innovations compared with traditional airplanes that go well beyond its carbon-fiber structure. To reduce weight and improve the plane’s efficiency, Boeing replaced much of the traditional pneumatic systems with electrical ones that do not rely on bleed air from the engines. At Heathrow, television video and photographs showed fire damage near the base of the vertical stabilizer, with fire-retardant foam having been sprayed on the area. . That would be the first time a fire had burned through the 787’s carbon-composite skin, raising questions about its fire-retardant properties.
The 787 has six electrical power generators — including two that are near the rear of the plane, linked to the auxiliary power generator, and two on each of the plane’s two engines. These generators provide power to the plane’s electrical systems in flight, including the flight deck displays, flight controls and in-flight entertainment. The system is more efficient because it reduces the drag on the engines and generates less noise. During flight, the four engine generators are the primary sources of electrical power. The auxiliary power unit is a small jet-engine that is used to produce power while on the ground. But most of the electrical panels and generators are in the center of the plane, below the passenger floor. That is also where one of the two lithium-ion batteries is situated. The second is under the cockpit.
Beyond the battery problems, the 787 has had a history of other mishaps since entering service, in November 2011. Many can be traced back to the plane’s extensive use of electrical systems, including its batteries. Several airlines, including United Airlines, the sole domestic operator so far, Qatar Airways, and All Nippon Airlines, have been forced to divert flights because of electrical problems or out of an abundance of caution given the limited experience pilots and crew have with the new plane. In Washington, the National Transportation Safety Board said it would send an investigator to Britain to inspect the Ethiopian plane.
Boeing had little choice in developing a technologically advanced airplane, its first since the 777, which came in service in 1995. Boeing has delivered 66 787s so far, with orders totaling 930 planes.
Airlines are looking for more operating efficiency and fuel savings and have been eagerly anticipated the new plane, which promises a 20 percent cut in costs. Airbus, Boeing’s big European rival, is also planning its own carbon-fiber airplane, the A350, which is scheduled to enter service sometime next year. Uncertainty over the cause of the fire could make passengers more reluctant to fly on a new plane, or lead some airlines to delay or defer their 787 orders. Aviation analysts said that Boeing’s battery problems had cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.
For Boeing, the 787’s systems represent a significant advancement in technology. To reduce weight and improve the plane’s efficiency, for example, Boeing replaced many of the traditional pneumatic systems with electrical ones that do not rely on bleed air from the engines.
The 787 has six electrical power generators — including two that are near the rear of the plane, linked to the auxiliary power generator, and two on each of the plane’s two engines. These generators provide power to the plane’s electrical systems in flight, including the flight deck displays, flight controls and in-flight entertainment. The system is more efficient because it reduces the drag on the engines, and it generates less noise. During flight, the four engine generators are the primary sources of electrical power. The auxiliary power unit is a small jet engine that is used to produce power while on the ground if the plane is not connected to an external power source.
The 787 has also had a history of other mishaps since entering service in November 2011. Several airlines, including United Airlines, the sole American operator so far, Qatar Airways and All Nippon Airlines, have been forced to divert flights because of electrical problems or out of an abundance of caution given the limited experience pilots and crew have with the new plane.
Despite these problems, though, airlines have eagerly anticipated the plane, which has cut fuel costs by 20 percent.
Airbus, Boeing’s big European rival, is also planning its own carbon-fiber airplane, the A350, which is scheduled to enter service sometime next year.