What happens when a device nearly every passenger carries onboard a plane erupts in smoke and flames

Almost every passengers carry lithium ion batteries to aircraft on their phones, laptops, rechargeable power packages and even vaps. And when something goes wrong in one of them, the Federal Aviation Administration tests show that the results may be a disaster.

Delta Air Lines Flight 1334 was flying from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale last month. The pilots declared an emergency situation and turned to Fort Meyers, where 191 people were safely evacuated on the ship.

The criminal was a passenger’s personal lithium ion battery package, which was stuck in the carrying bag.

FAA’s William J. Hughes, Atlantic City, New Jersey is investigating fire safety engineers and shows how bad it can be.

“Lithium batteries can go into what is called thermal Runaway, Rürt Fire Safety Branch Manager Robert Ochs explained. “Suddenly it will begin to circulate… The battery will become warmer and warmer until the structure of the battery is unsuccessful. At this point, it can produce melted electrolytes and flames and flames and smoke and toxic gas.”

FAA performed a demonstration for CNN in the research hangars to show what might be.

A rechargeable consumer battery pack, which can be used to charge a laptop or mobile phone, is stuck in the back of a seat and heated to 300 degrees to simulate the thermal leakage. Suddenly, sparks and families exploded violently, roasted the nearby seats and sent smoke fraud.

“The test here is to help flight officials,” he said. “There is always a fire on an airplane, it is a serious source of concern and action should be done immediately because there is no escape.”

These thermal leaks are difficult to fight. FAA recommends that flight officials use a Halon Fire extinguisher with standard equipment on aircraft, but this may not be enough alone.

In the test for CNN, the flames returned only in moments.

Ochs, “Take that hand extinguishing, use to extinguish the flames. But we know that this will not stop from our test and the fire will reign with a lithium battery,” he said. “Adding water, too much water from the kitchen car, non -alcoholic fluids, everything they can start to pour into that device.”

The problems are not new, but more batteries are transported to planes than ever before. Security Organization UL standards and participation, today an average passenger lithium ion batteries run with four devices, says.

“Fire incidents are rare, but they are increasing. We see two up to airplanes or airports a week.

Faa allows Most consumers are controlled by lithium ion batteries, and in the carrying trunk.

However, the latest federal data shows that external battery packages are the biggest cause of events, and as a result, FAA banned them from the controlled baggage that is more difficult to extinguish them.

However, despite all the warnings, UL standards and participation say that two of the five passengers still control them.

“We know that lithium battery fires are a serious danger in the cargo compartment, Och said Ochs. “If the passengers should bring them to the ship and they must be easily accessible. If one is on fire and filled into the depths of your bag, a fire box, it will be very difficult for a flight official to fight.”

In January, Air Busan Airbus Airbus A321 drowned with flames on the ground at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea. The investigation continues, but the cause is thought to be a personal power package battery stored in an fire trash. Twenty -seven people were injured, three serious.

As a result, South Korean has created rules that prevented the power banks from being kept in fire boxes and banning charger on the ship.

In the United States, Southwest Airlines now requirements All battery packages will “remain in a straight vision” and passengers cannot charge the devices in fire boxes.

“We know that this is a solveable problem, and above all about passenger awareness and education,” Marotian said. “A lithium battery fever on the ground is dangerous enough, a disaster in 30,000 feet.”

Passengers should inform the flight officials if a device is heated and if a battery -powered device is left to the seat, they should get help before trying to adjust the seat.

“If you lose a device and a seat… Don’t run the seat, because it can compress it and that may cause a thermal smuggling,” Ochs said. “The best bet is everything that goes wrong on your device, looking for a flight officer.”

Consumers can also avoid cheap devices.

“If much cheaper than other devices on the market, it probably does not have the most meticulous production. There may be hidden flaws that may cause the device to fail,” he said.

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