A lithium laptop battery caught fire on a United Airlines flight, forcing a diversion of the aircraft. While flight attendants successfully contained the fire onboard, four were sent to the hospital.
Laptop Battery Fire On United Airlines
The incident occurred Tuesday, February 7, 2023, onboard UA2664, a United Airlines flight traveling from San Diego (SAN) to Newark (EWR) operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Shortly after takeoff, a passenger’s laptop battery caught fire.
Flight attendants sprang into action, placing the battery into a thermal containment bag. Even so, with smoke wafting through the cabin and possible smoke inhalation for a number of the flight attendants and passengers, the aircraft returned to San Diego.
A crew from the San Diego Fire Department met the aircraft as it landed. Two passengers were evaluated on the scene while four flight attendants were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
SDFD crews at SD Intl Airport for a plane that came in w/ an external battery pack on fire in the cabin. Flight crew prevented the fire from spreading to the cabin. Two patients transported to hospital and more being eval’d. #batteryfire pic.twitter.com/BL5MrBAGUO
— SDFD (@SDFD) February 7, 2023
A United spokesperson explained:
Our crew acted quickly to contain the device and medical personnel met the aircraft upon arrival at the gate. Several flight attendants were taken to the hospital as a precaution, and two customers were evaluated onsite.
We thank our crew for their quick actions in prioritizing the safety of everyone on board the aircraft and we are making arrangements to get our customers to their destinations.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires that lithium-ion batteries be placed in carry-on bags and cannot be placed in checked baggage precisely for this reason: there is risk of fire, even when not in use.
CONCLUSION
Onboard fires are a serious issue. Flight attendants sprang into action when a laptop battery caught fire on a United flight to Newark this week. If you ever find your laptop battery overheating or has caught fire, alert a flight attendant immediately. Every aircraft is equipped with a thermal containment bag which is designed to place the item in.
image: Twitter
Glad that they were able to contain it quickly and as safely as they can. Hope everyone on the flight was alright.
Wonder if the battery was more than 100 watt hours…