FAA Sounds Alarm on Lithium Batteries

 

Incidents triggered by lithium-ion batteries are now, on average, a weekly occurrence on U.S. flights, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with cabin crews expressing concern over the risk.

This year, 69 lithium battery incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat have occurred on U.S. flights as of Dec. 16, FAA data show.

This equates to more than 1.3 incidents per week. Since 2015, the number of such events has increased by more than 330 percent.

Between March 3, 2006, and Nov. 5, 2024, a total of 579 lithium battery incidents were recorded, with the majority of cases coming from passenger carriers.

Battery packs and batteries accounted for the bulk of these incidents, with 229 events, followed by e-cigarettes/vape devices with 122, cell phones with 81, laptops with 70, and the rest involving other electronic and medical devices.

On Nov. 5, a smoke detector alarm from the lavatory of a United Airlines flight coming from San Francisco went off.

“Flight attendants found a passenger in the lavatory who stated their laptop began to overheat. A flight attendant placed the laptop in a thermal containment bag, and the aircraft continued to its destination without further incident,” the FAA said.

Earlier on Oct. 5, a passenger carry-on bag caught fire during the boarding process in Buffalo, New York, with lithium batteries being the culprit. Passengers were removed from the aircraft, while the fire was extinguished and batteries were taken out of the plane.

A survey report released by the nonprofit UL Standards & Engagement said cabin crew concerns about these risks of lithium batteries are “pronounced, with 87% expressing that they are very or somewhat concerned about lithium-ion battery incidents occurring on an aircraft.”

While almost all cabin crew members, 97 percent, reported they were aware of such risks, in contrast, “only 65% of airline passengers from ULSE’s consumer-focused surveys say they are aware” of them.

“Although very unlikely, thermal runaway incidents onboard happen around twice a week and are at the highest point we’ve seen,” said David Wroth, director of the Thermal Runaway Incident Program at UL Standards & Engagement. “Airlines are playing an active role in working to mitigate the risk of these incidents. Most importantly, airlines are equipping their crew with the knowledge needed to handle a potential lithium-ion battery incident.”