Atlantic City, New Jersey
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Almost every passenger carries lithium-ion batteries on the plane, including mobile phones, laptops, rechargeable power packs and even steam. And if one of them does have any issues, Federal Aviation Administration testing shows that the results can be devastating.
Delta Line Flight 1334 was flying from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale last month when smoke and flames began pouring from your backpack. The pilot declared a state of emergency and repurposed it to Fort Myers, where 191 people were safely evacuated.
The perpetrator was a passenger’s personal lithium-ion battery pack and was placed in carry-on baggage.
Fire safety engineers have studied and demonstrated how bad it is at William J. Hughes Technical Center of Advanced Aerospace’s FAA in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“Lithium batteries can enter what is called thermal runaway,” explained Robert Ox, manager of the fire branch. “All of a sudden, it starts a short circuit… it’s warm and warm until the battery itself breaks down. At that point, it can eject molten electrolytes, flames, smoke and toxic gases.”
The FAA conducted a CNN demonstration within the research hangar to show what would happen.
A rechargeable consumer battery pack that could be used to charge laptops and phones was pushed into the seatback pocket and heated to over 300 degrees to simulate thermal runaways. Suddenly, sparks and hunger erupted violently, burning nearby seats and swirling smoke.
“The tests we’re doing here are helping the flight attendants,” Ochs said. “Whenever a plane fires, it’s a serious concern and you have to take action immediately as you won’t be able to escape.”
These heated runaways are difficult to fight. The FAA recommends that flight attendants first use the standard equipment Halon Fire extinguisher for planes, but that may not be enough.
In a test run against CNN, the flames jumped up just in time.
“Get a fire extinguisher in that hand and use it to put out the flames. But from our testing, it doesn’t stop and we know that the fire will reignite with a lithium battery,” says Ochs. “I’m going to add water and add water from the galley cart, non-alcoholic liquids, everything you get by simply starting to pour into that device.”
The problem isn’t new, but more batteries are being carried to the plane than ever before. Safety Group UL standards and engagement say today the average passenger has a fly with four devices equipped with lithium-ion batteries.
“While fire cases are rare, they’re on the rise. We see two a week on planes or airports,” Jeff Marutian, the organization’s president and CEO, told CNN.
The FAA allows most consumers’ personal electronics with checked lithium-ion battery and carry-on baggage.
However, latest federal data shows that external battery packs are the biggest cause of incidents, resulting in the FAA banning checked bags that are difficult to extinguish.
But despite all the warnings, UL standards and engagement say two in five passengers still check.
“We know that lithium battery fires are a serious danger in the cargo chamber,” Ochs says. “The passengers should take them on board with them and should be accessible immediately. If you happen to get on the fire and it’s stuffed deep inside your bag, if it’s stuffed all the way in with a bottle overhead, that would be very difficult for the flight attendant to fight.”
In January, the Air Busan Airbus A321 on the ground at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea was hit by flames. The investigation is underway, but it is believed that the cause is a personal power pack battery stored in the overhead bin. 27 people were injured and three were seriously injured.
As a result, South Korea has created rules to prevent power banks from being stored in overhead bins and banned onboard devices.
In the US, Southwest Airlines require all battery packs to “keep visible” when in use, and passengers cannot charge overhead bin devices.
“I know this is a solutionable problem, and first and foremost concern passenger awareness and education,” says Marootian. “A lithium battery fire on the ground is dangerous enough and can be a catastrophe at 30,000 feet.”
Passengers should get help before attempting to adjust the seat for flight attendants whether the device is too hot and if the battery-powered device is dropped into the seat.
“If you lose your device and the seat… don’t operate the seat, because you can pinch it and it can cause thermal runaways,” Ox said. “The best thing to do is that you’re experiencing problems with your device. Call the flight attendant.”
Consumers can also avoid devices that are made cheaply.
“If it’s much cheaper than other devices on the market, it’s likely that there’s no strictest manufacturing. The device itself may have a potential defect and it could break down,” he said.
