Flames burst out cabin mid-flight as battery catches fire causing emergency landing
Source: Daily Star – World News
A lithium battery stowed in the overhead lockers on board a flight destined for Seoul spontaneously combusted mid-flight, sparking flames, smoke, fear and an emergency landing
Drama kicked off on a busy Seoul-bound Air China flight when a lithium battery spontaneously combusted mid-flight. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing after the battery, which was stored inside a passenger’s carry-on luggage, filled the cabin with smoke.
The blaze broke out on Flight CA139 on Saturday after it had departed Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport 9.47am local time carrying 160 passengers and crew and heading towards South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, according to reports from the airline and Chinese state media.
In a post on Weibo, Air China stated that “a lithium battery in a passenger’s carry-on luggage stored in the overhead compartment spontaneously ignited”.
The post continued to say that the crew responded swiftly and that no one was injured.
The plane was redirected to Shanghai Pudong International Airport “to ensured flight safety”, Air China said.
Footage shared across social media showed intense bright flames and thick smoke coming from an overhead compartment as horrified passengers shouted for help.
Two crew members bolted down the aisle carrying fire extinguishers while others ordered passengers to stay seated.
It’s been reported that passengers heard a loud explosion just mere seconds before the storage bin was engulfed in flames.
Confusion and panic followed, with one passenger yelling “hurry up” in Korean as smoke continued to billow out into the cabin.
The plane landed without issue in Shanghai around 11am and a replacement aircraft completed the flight to Seoul.
Despite the dramatic scenes, no injuries were reported and the aircraft suffered no structural damage.
While it has been reported that the item that sparked the fire was a power bank battery, officials haven’t confirmed the brand or manufacturer.
Not the only flight to suffer a mid-flight fire this year, passengers onboard a Boeing 757-300 sent final texts to their loved ones, after the plane burst into flames shortly after takeoff.
The Condor Airlines Boeing 757-300 was carrying around 300 people on Saturday night when the plane’s right engine caught fire. The aircraft had taken off from Corfu, Greece just moments earlier.
Passengers revealed that smoke blocked the view from their window, igniting a fear they would crash. They began to send their ‘final messages,’ to their loved ones as they feared they would die.
One German passenger recalled: “I sent goodbye messages thinking it was over. It was a horrible experience.”
Last month, a British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing after smoke filled the cabin. The flight had departed Sydney around 2.40pm local time bound for Singapore, however was forced to turn back approximately an hour after take-off.
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