Website Brinkwire posted a piece that left us sufficiently concerned to pass on the information. They believe that lithium battery fires in aircraft cargo holds still pose a risk. This is because not all airline passengers obey airline safety rules. For example, passengers may not have firearms in passenger space because of risks to airplanes. Yet of the almost 4,000 firearms TSA seized last year, 34% had a live round in the chamber.
The Risks to Airliners from Laptop and Phone Batteries
Federal regulators have once again pointed out the risks to airliners posed by lithium batteries in holds. While a battery fire could not cause an aircraft crash on its own, they say it could ignite flammable cosmetics, and gases in aerosol cans in checked baggage.
“That could then cause an issue that would compromise the aircraft,” says Duane Pfund, international program coordinator at the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. This is hardly breaking news. FAA researchers warned in 2017, “chain reactions inside a cargo compartment could cause an out-of-control conflagration.
Regulations Still Do Not Address the Risks to Airliners
The FAA has logged over a dozen lithium-ion fires every year from 2013. It reported 31 in 2016 and 46 so far this year. Brinkwire reveals almost every airliner stores pallets of cargo under passenger seats for extra income. What could happen if a lithium battery fire ignited a highly flammable substance there?
A battery is inactive unless current flows through the terminals, usually via a device. Hence, if we turn our phones and laptops off before checking through, we largely eliminate the possibility of thermal runaway following a battery malfunction.
We should query why we cannot survive without our devices for a few hours, if we cannot do this. We ought not to wait for a downed airliner before doing the right thing. That’s help to prevent these risks to airliners, and their passengers including us.
Related
Suppressing Lithium Battery Fires: EU Update 8
Emergency Responders & Electric Car Fires
Preview Image: Removing a Lithium Battery from a Laptop
