The FAA is investigating another incident involving lithium ion batteries aboard aircraft. During a flight from New York to San Francisco passengers became alarmed when they saw smoke coming from a carry-on bag. The fire was caused by a lithium ion battery in a laptop computer that overheated.
There have been 12 similar incidents on flights so far this year. Some experts have voiced concerns over a possible danger from requiring electronics that contain lithium ion batteries to be stored in the cargo area of the plane in passengers’ checked baggage rather than in their carry-on bags. Should a fire start in the cargo area it can burn unchecked for quite some time. Former NTSB Chair, Mark Rosenker, stated “Frankly, the safety community would find that a greater risk than potentially even terrorism. We do run a very serious risk of some potentially losing the aircraft.”
Fire on JetBlue flight highlights concerns over possible laptop ban expansion
