FAA ‘safety alert’ warns airlines about the dangers of lithium batteries

In a safety alert, Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration again warned airlines of the risk of lithium batteries carried onboard planes by passengers and crew members.
Cell phones, laptops, portable power banks, e-cigarettes, and hearing aids are just some of the many devices with the batteries that could malfunction, create a ‘thermal runaway’ and ignite a fire.
“Lithium batteries stored in passenger overhead bins and or in carry-on baggage, may be obscured, difficult to access, or not readily monitored by passengers or crewmembers,” the alert notes. “Because of this, detection of thermal runaway and firefighting measures may be delayed in flight, increasing the risk to safety.”
The alert comes days after the FAA demonstrated for CNN how a thermal runaway in a battery power pack in a seat back pocket could suddenly launch a violent shower of sparks and ignite a fire.
“Use of Halon extinguishers can briefly suppress open flames, however they do not halt the thermal runaway process,” the FAA notes in the alert. “The primary response involves using large amounts of water to cool the battery and suppress flames.”
The FAA tracked 50 verified battery related incidents through August, according to the agency’s statistics.
The alert encourages airlines to “consider the hazard posed by the stowage of lithium batteries in areas not visible or easily accessible to passengers or crewmembers, such as in overhead bins or in carry-on baggage.”
Southwest Airlines is currently the only major U.S. carrier which requires portable chargers and power banks to be “in plain sight” if they are being used during flight.
Generally, spare lithium batteries are prohibited in all checked baggage.