B787 Dreamliner Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 90; Flight Crew Total 32801; Flight Crew Type 1003
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Aircraft; Weather
Severe lightning strike during initial climb. Circuit breakers tripped and several channels of several systems faulted. Climbed to clear of weather and contacted Maintenance Control; Dispatch; and the Flight Manager. All agreed that a return to ZZZ would be prudent. Jettisoned fuel to max landing weight. Lost ground based glideslope signal on first approach. Missed approach. Next approach and subsequent landing were uneventful.
We took off Runway XXL. Shortly after takeoff; we encountered moderate rain and the other Relief Pilot called out for the Flying Pilot to turn on weather radar. The Flying Pilot had briefed that she would turn it on for takeoff; [but] had forgotten to do so. My position was in the back right observer seat which [makes it] difficult to see and hear what's going on since most of what I can see is blocked by the FO (First Officer) chair and most of what I can hear is drowned out by the airflow blowing by my right ear. ATC requested a turn to the right 080 degrees. Shortly thereafter; we encountered heavy rain and had a lightning strike near the forward right of the aircraft. All the illumination of the instruments went to full bright because of the bright flash of the lightning. ATC wanted us to continue turning to the right. However; there were orange and red cells [in] that direction so we told them we needed to continue present heading. We checked the pressurization system and all other system pages to see if everything was normal. We noticed the P5 air conditioning/pressurization breaker tripped. Also; there were several status messages that there [were] channel faults in the air conditioning control panel and cargo heat.Once clear of weather; we continued on course to ZZZZZ. We conference called our Dispatch; Maintenance Control; and the Flight Duty Manager. After evaluating the situation and that there was another area of thunderstorms later in the flight; we decided to return to ZZZ. We requested a return for landing and a location to dump 110;500 lbs. of fuel to get to our max landing weight. Once we were at landing weight we requested Runway XXL since it was the longest runway. With landing at max landing weight on a windy and rainy night; it seemed the most prudent thing to do.Everything was programed in the FMC and we were in HDG select and VNAV path. However; it did not seem like we were descending at a rate fast enough to get to the FAF. The identifier for the runway was displayed on the FMA but the glideslope was erratic and was showing us below the GS although we were above it. Once we broke out to VMC; we confirmed we were too high to land and executed go around to the missed approach. No other aircraft were landing XXL since it was only used for takeoffs. ATC advised us after we went missed that the glideslope is unusable so we requested Runway XXR. We were vectored for the ILS; landed; and returned to the gate.
B787 flight crew reported the aircraft was struck by lightning that caused a partial systems loss; resulting in a return to the departure airport.