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, representing the State of Design and Manufacture, and
the Civil Aviation Authority of Ethiopia, representing 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.
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...%20Release.pdf