Date
& Time:
12
July 2013 at approx 1550 hrs UTC
Location:
London
Heathrow Airport
Aircraft
Type:
Boeing
787-8
Operator:
Ethiopian
Airlines
At
approximately 1550 hrs UTC on 12 July 2013 a Boeing 787-8 of
Ethiopian Airlines, registration ET-AOP,
suffered an event at London Heathrow whilst the aircraft was parked
on stand, with no persons
on board. The initial witness and physical evidence
shows that this event resulted in smoke
throughout the fuselage and extensive heat damage in the upper
portion of the rear fuselage.
In
exercise of his powers the Chief Inspector of the Air Accidents
Investigation Branch (AAIB) has ordered
that an investigation into this serious incident be carried out, in
accordance with the Civil Aviation
(Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996 and
the Standards and Recommended
Practices of Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO). The
sole
objective of the investigation is to determine the causal and
contributory factors of this serious incident,
with the intention of preventing a recurrence. It is not the purpose
to apportion blame or
liability.
In
accordance with these international standards and recommended
practices, the National
Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB), USA, repres enting
the State of Design and Manufacture, and the
Civil Aviation Authority of Ethiopia, represent
ing
the State of Registry and Operator, have been invited
to appoint Accredited Representatives to participate in the
investigation, along with
advisors
from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
and Ethiopian
Airlines.
The AAIB has also invited the participation of the EASA (European
Aviation Safety Agency)
and the UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) as advisors to the
investigation.
This
team, under the direction of the AAIB, has initiated the technical
investigation into the event.
The
aircraft is currently located in a hangar at London Heathrow. There
has been extensive heat damage
in the upper portion of the rear fuselage, a complex part of the
aircraft, and the initial
investigation
is likely to take several days. 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.
