Safety warning after passenger's headphones explode on Beijing to Melbourne flight

[Truth_hurts]

(I didn't post any of her photos here but if you want to see the photos just click on the site below)

 

An airline passenger has spoken of her horror when her battery-operated headphones exploded on her face mid-flight.

 

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued a warning after the woman, travelling from Beijing to Melbourne on February 19, was left with a burnt face, hand and burnt hair.

 

The woman, whose identity has been concealed by the ATSB, said she was listening to music on a pair of battery-operated headphones when she fell asleep about two hours into the flight.

 

She woke to a loud explosion.

 

"As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face," she said.

 

"I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.

 

"I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire."

 

Flight attendants quickly poured a bucket of water on the headphones but the battery and cover were melted and stuck to the floor of the aircraft.

 

Photos show her hair and eyebrows singed and filled with black soot.

 

For the remainder of the flight, passengers endured the smell of melted plastic, burnt electronics and burnt hair.

 

"People were coughing and choking the entire way home," the passenger said.

 

A spokesman for the ATSB declined to reveal the brand of the headphones, saying all batteries are potentially risky.

 

"The ATSB has assessed that it is the batteries, as the power source, that caught on fire and are therefore the issue... All batteries contain stored energy and are therefore potentially risky."

 

In its safety warning, the ATSB said the potential for in-flight issues is increasing as the range of products using batteries grows.

 

Battery-powered devices should be stowed when not in use and spare batteries must be kept in carry-on baggage, not checked baggage, the warning said.

 

The incident follows several incidents of Samsung Galaxy phones and hoverboards exploding and being banned on planes.

 

Samsung recalled their Galaxy Note 7s due to faulty batteries that were catching fire.

 

In another incident, a phone battery caused a fire on a Qantas plane last year when the phone became stuck in a reclining chair and was crushed.

 

Lithium ion batteries, commonly used in phones and handheld electronics because they charge quickly and are compact, use highly flammable liquid that can explode if a battery short circuits.

 

Poorly constructed or older model lithium batteries are more likely to short circuit however tech website Gizmodo said over-heating and over-charging can also potentially cause an explosion in a 'perfect' battery.

 

The chance of your device exploding is "something like one in 10 million," Ken Boyce, from American safety consulting and certification company UL, told Gizmodo.

 

The Civil Aviation and Safety Authority has more information about travelling safely with batteries and portable power packs.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/safety-warning-after-passengers-headphones-explode-on-beijing-to-melbourne-flight-20170314-guy6va.html

 

 

The ATSB assessed that the batteries in the device likely caught on fire. The ATSB reminds passengers using battery-powered devices that:

 

-batteries should be kept in an approved stowage, unless in use

-spare batteries must be in your carry-on baggage NOT checked baggage

-if a passenger’s smart phone or other device has fallen into the seat gap, locate their device before moving powered seats

-if a passenger cannot locate their device, they should refrain from moving their seat and immediately contact a cabin crew member.

 

More information about Travelling safety with batteries and portable power packs

https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/travelling-safely-batteries

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/newsroom/news-items/2017/battery-explosion-mid-flight/

[impromptutraveler]

Omg 

[Micah Bell]

That's horrifying.  

[Mei Matsumoto-removed]

Don't ever trust Chinese made products. Faulty and unreliable.

[abra]

I'm glad that I don't have any headphones with batteries... or maybe I do... jikes

[timpa]

The chance of your device exploding is "something like one in 10 million," Ken Boyce, from American safety consulting and certification company UL, told Gizmodo.

 

Pretty sure he pulled that number out of his ass.

[Queen's Mine]

Don't ever trust Chinese made products. Faulty and unreliable.

did it mentioned China made product? All I can see it's from Samsung also It can be Japan made products. No body buying Sony anymore

[Truth_hurts]

did it mentioned China made product? All I can see it's from Samsung also It can be Japan made products. No body buying Sony anymore

 

Peter Gibson, communications manager for Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, told CNN they would be investigating the incident.

 

"If it seems the device was damaged, then that will explain it ... but you know if it was a genuine battery and hadn't been abused then we will go to the manufacturer and see what's going on," he said.

 

Batteries known to cause plane fires

 

In a statement, the ATSB said it was likely the batteries inside the headphones had caught fire, rather than the headphones themselves.

 

However, a spokesman wouldn't reveal what type of batteries or headphones were involved. He said the incident had occurred on February 19.

 

http://abc7chicago.com/news/passengers-battery-powered-headphones-explode-mid-flight/1801748/