Airplane fire safety rules stall under President Trump
From Herald Net (03.13.2017) Joan Lowy
A year ago, the U.S. government was campaigning for an international ban on shipments of rechargeable batteries on passenger planes because the batteries can self-ignite, creating intense fires capable of destroying an airliner. Today, that urgency has evaporated as safety regulations stall under President Donald Trump’s push to ease what he sees as red tape holding back the economy. The International Civil Aviation Organization decided last year to ban bulk shipments of lithium-ion batteries on international passenger flights. On cargo flights, the batteries can be charged to no more than 30 percent, a level that may reduce the likelihood of fires. Countries around the world have been adopting the new international standard for domestic flights as well. After Trump took office on Jan. 20, he signed an executive order freezing the publication of new regulations. That means airlines and cargo operators remain free to ignore the standard for domestic flights.
Woman’s headphone batteries exploded on flight to Australia, causing burns
From Washington Post (03.15.2017) Ben Guarino
A woman flying to Melbourne from Beijing in February fell asleep while wearing noise-canceling headphones, only to awake to the sounds of a nearby explosion. The battery in her headphones had burst into flame, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation into the incident released Tuesday.
Photos depicted the unidentified woman with soot on her face, her cheek and neck singed.
“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she said, according to a statement posted to the ATSB website Tuesday. “I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the incident occurred Feb. 19. A representative for ATSB declined to tell the Australian newspaper what brand of battery caused the explosion.
The woman quickly responded to the malfunctioning device. “I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor,” she said. “They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.”
She continued: “As I went to stamp my foot on them the flight attendants were already there with a bucket of water to pour on them. They put them into the bucket at the rear of the plane.”
The melted headphone cover and battery had to be scraped off the aircraft floor, according to the ATSB. The scent of torched hair and electronics lingered on the plane, disrupting the flight.
“People were coughing and choking the entire way home,” the woman said.
This was not the only incident to involve potentially dangerous batteries and airplanes. Hoverboards and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 have been subject to recent airline bans over concerns about exploding batteries.