In recent years, airline passengers have become familiar with the check-in questions and pre-flight safety instructions related to lithium batteries in laptop computers and chargers. That danger was front and center on Friday when a laptop caught on fire on American Airlines flight 2398 from Atlanta to Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW).
The pilot told the control tower that four or five passengers were burned by the laptop and requested medical crews meet the plane on arrival.
“I think we have about four to five passengers that were burned by the laptop,” the pilot was heard to say in ATC audio. “The laptop is contained about mid-aircraft.”
Reports also noted that the cabin filled with smoke before the laptop was successfully contained in a thermal bag. The incident happened about 30 minutes before the scheduled landing at DFW. The passenger reportedly tossed the burning laptop into the aisle, and several passengers tried to assist, leading to the reported burns.
“American Airlines flight 2398 landed safely at DFW after reports of smoke from a customer’s device during landing,” said American Airlines via a statement. “We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device.”
The FAA’s website notes that there have been 58 incidents year to date on aircraft involving lithium batteries. And of the 756 verified incidents dating back to 2006, 84 involved laptops, or about 11 percent of the total.
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