Airline Flight Crew Thwarts Battery Fire

SriLankan Airlines crew members put their training to good use when a lithium battery caught fire aboard a flight from India to Sri Lanka on Sunday.

According to a press release from Sri Lanka's flag carrier, flight attendants at the rear of the Airbus A330-200 noticed smoke coming from a bag in the overhead bin shortly after meal service on the 70-minute flight.

"Alert cabin crew members aboard SriLankan Airlines’ flight UL 166 managed to avert a major incident that is believed to have been caused by the ignition of a lithium battery pack or mobile phones in a passenger’s hand luggage," said SriLankan Airlines.

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The flight attendants first sprayed the bag with a fire extinguisher before removing it from the bin. After the bag began to emit even more smoke, the flight crew placed the luggage in a bag of water to extinguish the fire.

Flight attendants later discovered a lithium battery pack and two cell phones inside the bag.

No injuries were reported, and the flight landed safely on time at its scheduled destination in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The plane was met by fire officials and "dangerous goods experts."

No emergency evacuation was necessary as the flight crew had the situation under control.

"SriLankan Airlines commends the crew of flight UL 166 for their vigilance, timely action and calmness under pressure in adopting the proper procedures, which avoided a major incident," the airline concluded in its statement.

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The airline, as well as Sri Lankan authorities, have launched an investigation into the incident.

Sunday's close call comes two months after a JetBlue flight from New York to San Francisco was forced to make an emergency landing in Grand Rapids, Michigan after a laptop lithium battery caught fire in an overhead bin.

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