Smoking Boeing 787 Dreamliner caused by yet another battery malfunction Boeing spent much of last year trying to fix problems with its 787 Dreamliner airplane Battery malfunctions caused a number of fires and all aircraft in the U.S. and Japan were grounded for three months The battery system was redesigned On Tuesday maintenance workers at Japan's Narita airport noticed smoke and an unidentified liquid coming from the main battery of a 787 No passengers were on board Battery problems resurfaced on Boeing's 787 on Tuesday, after gas was discovered coming out of a battery on a plane parked in Tokyo. Boeing said the problem on a Japan Airlines 787 was discovered during scheduled maintenance. No passengers were on board. The company said it appears that a single battery cell 'vented', or released gas. The incident comes a year after a fire in a lithium ion battery aboard a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston's Logan International Airport. More problems: Staff inspect a grounded All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan, following an incident with a leaking battery. The 787 Dreamliner model of US aircraft producer Boeing has suffered a series heightened safety concerns, which led airlines all over the world to temporarily ground their Dreamliner fleets in 2013 That was followed nine days later by another battery incident that forced an emergency landing in Japan by an All Nippon Airways 787. Those problems prompted the FAA and other authorities to ground all 787s for more than three months. The planes began flying again after Boeing changed the battery system, adding a tougher box to hold the battery and measures to contain any short-circuit or fire. Boeing said those changes appear to have worked as designed in the battery incident on Tuesday. Disaster: Last year, a parked Ethiopian Boeing 787 Dreamliner caught fire at Heathrow airport July 28 2012: A fan shaft fails during runway tests in South Carolina December 2012: A Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans January 7 2013: An unoccupied Dreamliner flight bursts into flames at Boston airport January 15 2013: A flight made an emergency landing in Japan after a smoke alarm went off. The string of incidents led to regulators ordering a global grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet, which lasted for four months June 2 2013: Battery-related problems were reported on a Japan Airlines aircraft forcing the airline to use an alternative plane June 12 2013: A flight in Japan was cancelled after one of the engines failed to start June 18 2013: A United Airlines flight was diverted to Seattle due to an oil-filter problem June 24 2013: A Dreamliner operated by United Airlines had to make an emergency landing in Denver due to a brake problem July 3 2013: Polish airline LOT cancelled a Dreamliner flight to Chicago because the aircraft had "problems with the power supply July 12 2013: Ethiopian Airlines plane catches fire on the runway at Heathrow, forcing the closure of the whole airport July 18 2013: Japan Airlines plane bound for Tokyo had to return to Boston's Logan airport after take-off because of a possible issue with the fuel pumps November 2013: Japan Airlines pulls 787s from two international routes amid concerns about ice forming on the planes It said it's working with Japan Airlines to get the plane flying again. Because the incident happened in Japan and involved a Japanese airline, Japanese authorities would take the lead in any investigation. If the Japan Transport Safety Board opens an investigation, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board 'would certainly participate,' NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said. The NTSB said the incident was reported to it as a 'smoke event'. The NTSB expects to finish its investigation of the 787 fire in Boston by the end of March, and present findings at a public meeting this fall. 'Anything we can learn about the (latest) battery failure would be helpful (to the ongoing investigation),' Knudson said. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is working with Boeing and with the Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan to investigate the latest malfunction. United Airlines is the only U.S. 787 operator. 'Our 787s are operating normally, and we haven't experienced any issues with the batteries,' spokeswoman Christen David said. She declined to say whether United 787s were getting extra inspections, beyond the routine maintenance checks the airline gives all of its planes. Boeing shares fell 69 cents, or a half-percent, to close at $140.01 on Tuesday. On its official Twitter account, Boeing wrote that the '787 issue on ground at Narita appears to involve venting of single battery cell during maintenance'. A follow-up tweet claimed that 'improvements to 787 battery system appear to have worked as designed'. What isn't clear yet is what exactly went wrong to cause the smoking battery in the first place - the airline is currently investigating the incident, and Boeing says that it is working with Japan Airlines to return the plane to service. The 787 - the first passenger jet built mainly from lightweight carbon-composites.- incorporates a raft of changes in the way passenger jets are designed, including greater use of electrical systems that save weight compared with older hydraulics. It has suffered a spate of disasters since it was introduced to commercial airlines in 2011. In July last year, a 787 jet operated by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire on the runway at Heathrow - forcing the closure of the entire airport. A month earlier, Japan had been forced to cancel a 787 flight and use an alternative plane for another due to battery-related problems and engine failure. Despite its numerous issues, the 787 plane is still considered one of the most impressive and advanced aircraft in the industry.