Summary
- Laptop fire on Breeze flight forces an emergency landing in ABQ.
- Safety concerns raised over lithium battery fires in passengers’ electronic devices.
- Cabin crew’s swift motion was crucial in containing the laptop fire, highlighting the importance of coaching and proper equipment.
A Breeze Airways flight from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh was forced to make an emergency diversion after a laptop caught fire within the cabin. Smoke reportedly spread throughout the cabin before the aircraft safely landed in Albuquerque.
Laptop fire prompts Breeze diversion
Flight MX555, operated by an Airbus A220-300 (registration: N227BZ), departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 12:57 local time en path to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). As reported by The AvHerald, a laptop owned by a passenger caught fire “on account of thermal runaway of its Lithium Ion Battery.”
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Smoke filled the cabin and can have reached the flight deck too. Cabin crew acted quickly and extinguished the hearth before containing the laptop, and the flight crew decided to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque. Roughly one hour into the flight, data from tracking site Flightradar24 shows the aircraft turning towards Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), where it landed safely at 15:27.
The flight had 88 passengers and crew onboard, with no injuries reported apart from the owner of the laptop. The owner was treated by paramedics on the scene before being released, with their injuries unknown. Nonetheless, it does suggest that the laptop was likely in use by the passenger when it caught fire, relatively than it happening when switched off within the overhead storage bin.
FAA to research
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will launch an instantaneous investigation into the incident. Passengers on the flight were supplied with accommodation in Recent Mexico for the night before boarding a alternative flight for Pittsburgh the next morning. The Airbus A220 involved within the incident stayed on the bottom in ABQ for around 23 hours before re-entering service.
Battery safety
While rare, lithium battery fires are deemed a security concern by authorities for good reason. There have been a couple of accidents previously couple of a long time on account of fires from batteries – including a UPS Boeing 747F crash in 2010 and an Asiana 747F accident the next 12 months – which led to stricter regulations on their transportation.
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The incident occurred in top notch shortly after takeoff and 4 individuals are being treated for smoke inhalation at a close-by hospital.
Industrial aircraft have specialized equipment onboard to take care of electrical fires, and cabin crew are, in fact, extensively trained in easy methods to take care of them. A ‘thermal runaway’ fire is defined as a self-sustaining, exothermic response that may occur in damaged or improperly manufactured batteries – these fires will be incredibly tricky, often reigniting after appearing extinguished.
The smoke emitted from burning batteries can also be highly toxic – at this stage, it’s not known if oxygen masks were deployed on the flight. Easy Flying has reached out to Breeze Airways for further comment and can update this story accordingly.
Do you think that lithium batteries are protected enough to take onboard aircraft? Tell us your thoughts within the comments.