Battery-powered devices are overheating more often on planes and raising alarm

Date:

Share post:


Devices powered by lithium-ion batteries are overheating more often during airline flights and passengers often put them in checked bags that go into the cargo hold, where a fire might not be detected as quickly.

Overheating incidents rose 28% from 2019 to 2023, although such events remain relatively rare, UL Standards said in a report released Monday.

E-cigarettes overheated more often than any other device, based on reports from 35 airlines, according to the report.

In 60% of the cases, the overheating — called thermal runaway — happened near the seat of the passenger who brought the device on board.

In July, a smoking laptop in a passenger’s bag led to the evacuation of a plane awaiting takeoff at San Francisco International Airport. Last year, a flight from Dallas to Orlando, Florida, made an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, after a battery caught fire in an overhead bin.

More than one-quarter of passengers surveyed for the study said they put vaping cigarettes and portable chargers in checked bags. That is against federal rules.

The Transportation Security Administration prohibits e-cigarettes and chargers and power banks with lithium-ion batteries in checked bags but allows them in carry-on bags. The rule exists precisely because fires in the cargo hold might be harder to detect and extinguish.

UL Standards, a division of UL Solutions Inc., a safety-science company previously known as Underwriters Laboratories, based its findings on data from 35 passenger and cargo airlines including almost all the leading U.S. carriers.

The Federal Aviation Administration reports 37 thermal-runaway incidents on planes this year, through Aug. 15. There were a 77 reports last year, a 71% increase over 2019, according to the FAA numbers.

Considering that airlines operate about 180,000 U.S. flights each week, incidents in the air are relatively uncommon, and lithium batteries can overheat anywhere.

“We also know that one of these thermal-runaway incidents at 40,000 feet does present unique risks,” said UL’s David Wroth.

Those risks have been known for many years.

After cargo planes carrying loads of lithium-ion batteries crashed in 2010 and 2011, the United Nations’ aviation organization considered restricting such shipments but rejected tougher standards. Opponents, including airlines, argued that the decision on whether to accept battery shipments should be left up to the carriers, and some no longer take bulk battery shipments.

The most common lithium-ion-powered devices on planes are phones, laptops, wireless headphones and tablets. About 35% of reported overheating incidents involved e-cigarettes, and 16% involved power banks.

UL Standards, a division of UL Solutions Inc., a safety-science company previously known as Underwriters Laboratories, based its findings on voluntary reports from 35 passenger and cargo airlines including almost all the leading U.S. carriers.



Source link

Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden is a news writer for LinkDaddy News. She writes health, sport, tech, and more. Some of her favorite topics include the latest trends in fitness and wellness, the best ways to use technology to improve your life, and the latest developments in medical research.

Recent posts

Related articles

Norfolk Southern makes deal with investors to prevent another fight for control of the railroad

Norfolk Southern announced an agreement Thursday with Ancora Holdings to keep the investor from launching a repeat...

Advance Auto Parts is closing hundreds of stores in an effort to turn its business around

NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — Advance Auto Parts is closing more than 500 stores and...

Wisconsin agency issues first round of permits for Enbridge Line 5 reroute around reservation

MADISON, Wis. -- Enbridge's contentious plan to reroute an aging pipeline around a northern Wisconsin tribal reservation...

Powell says Fed will likely cut rates cautiously given persistent inflation pressures

WASHINGTON -- Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that the Federal Reserve will likely cut its key interest...

How Alex Jones' Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion

The purchase of Alex Jones ' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction by the satirical news publication The...

The state that cleared the way for sports gambling now may ban 'prop' bets on college athletes

TRENTON, N.J. -- After an unexpected loss in which he threw four interceptions in September, Auburn quarterback...

Latvia charges 2 Lithuanians for counterfeiting Ariel laundry products in organized criminal venture

HELSINKI -- Latvian police said Thursday that criminal proceedings have been initiated against two Lithuanian citizens suspected...

Number of Americans filing for unemployment falls to lowest level in 6 months

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in six months last...