A British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been badly damaged after the front nose gear collapsed while it was parked on a remote stand at Heathrow Airport in West London on Friday morning. The incident happened as heavy rain swept across the South East for a prolonged period.
The 787-8 aircraft was delivered new to British Airways in June 2013 and has been flying throughout the pandemic on a mix of passenger flights and cargo-only services – including long-haul missions to supply the UK with much-needed personal protective equipment like face masks for healthcare workers on the front line.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed the aircraft (G-ZBJB) was preparing for a freighter flight when the accident happened so there weren’t any passengers onoard.
In an emailed statement, British Airways said: “A freighter aircraft has been damaged while stationary on stand. As a freighter-only aircraft, there were no passengers on board. Safety is always our highest priority and we are investigating the matter.”
There have been no reported injuries.
The airline was not immediately able to say what caused the nose gear to collapse but it is understood that the incident will be investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch. The aircraft, valued at $248 million at list price, should be repairable.
There was a spate of ground accidents last year after airlines were forced to park their aircraft en masse at the height of the pandemic. In one incident, a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 was blown into the side of an Airbus A350 aircraft when a freak storm pushed it from its parking spot.
