ATSB warns of lithium battery dangers following mid-flight incident

In the latest reminder of the safety concerns surrounding these batteries, a woman was injured on a recent flight from Beijing to Melbourne when her battery-powered headphones exploded while in use, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.    The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is warning airline passengers of the dangers of bringing lithium batteries onboard aircraft after a recent incident in which a women was injured when her battery-powered headphones burst into flames while in use.
   The woman was in flight from Beijing, China to Melbourne, Australia when she fell asleep while listening to music, only to awaken to the sound of a “loud explosion,” according to a statement from the ATSB.
   “As I went to turn around, I felt burning on my face,” the passenger said. “I just grabbed my face, which caused the headphones to go around my neck. I continued to feel burning, so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.
   “As I went to stamp my foot on them, the flight attendants were already there with a bucket of water to pour on them. They put them into the bucket at the rear of the plane.”
   ATSB said the battery and cover were both melted and stuck to the floor of the aircraft.
   The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2015 issued an interim ban on all shipments of lithium-ion batteries as cargo in the hold of passenger aircraft.
   The incident serves as the latest reminder of the safety concerns surrounding the flammability of these batteries, which are used to power common consumer devices like cell phones and laptop computers. Lithium batteries can ignite under certain circumstances, such as overheating, and the resulting fires can spread rapidly, especially when several batteries are stored together.
   The ICAO ban, however, did not apply to cargo flights, which still permit the transport of these batteries provided they have less than 30 percent charge, nor to personal electronic devices carried by passengers or crew.
   As a result of the incident, the ATSB is reminding passengers using battery-powered devices that “batteries should be kept in an approved stowage, unless in use; spare batteries must be in your carry-on baggage NOT checked baggage; if a passenger’s smart phone or other device has fallen into the seat gap, locate their device before moving powered seats; and if a passenger cannot locate their device, they should refrain from moving their seat and immediately contact a cabin crew member.”
   Read more about the dangers of lithium battery shipments, as well as rising numbers of other undeclared hazmat cargoes, in the December 2016 magazine feature, “Danger in the Sky,” pages 20-24.