UK Investigators Examine Transmitter in 787 Fire

U.K. investigators say they are examining whether an emergency transmitter might have played a role in last week’s fire on a Boeing 787 at London’s Heathrow Airport.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said Tuesday that while it is premature to speculate on the incident’s cause, the “emergency locator transmitter is one of several components being looked at in detail as part of the investigation.”

U.K. authorities confirmed that U.S.-based Honeywell – maker of the 787’s emergency transmitter – has joined the probe into the fire on a parked Ethiopian Airlines’ Dreamliner.

The fire brought back memories of the two smoldering lithium-ion batteries that led officials to temporarily ground 787s worldwide in January. Flights resumed after the battery systems were redesigned.