A light aircraft landed safely at a private airfield in Kent County, England after its main battery caught fire. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (IAAI) responded, and noted a previous light aircraft lithium-ion battery fire in a similar aircraft. Fortunately nobody was harmed, and the aircraft was able to land safely thanks to quick reactions from the passenger.
What Caused the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire in the Aircraft?
It’s not clear what caused the battery to catch fire. However, what we do know is the light aircraft lithium-ion battery emitted ‘clouds of hazardous smoke and gases’. And that these ‘affected the ability of the pilot to safely control the aircraft’.
As we studied the report, we learned that the lithium-ion battery was the primary source of electricity for the combustion-engine aircraft. This caught fire shortly after take off, for a short flight to meet the pilot’s licensing conditions.
We imagine the possibly of an engineer fast-charging the battery for the flight, and it may still have been warm when the pilot self-started the combustion engine. As far as we are aware, a lead acid battery could have done the job without catching alight, but we’ll leave that thought there.
More Information Currently Available About the Incident
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report confirms, “The offending lithium-ion battery was in a battery box. However, this did not contain the heat, smoke and gases.”
A similar airborne battery fire of the same aircraft and lithium-ion battery type occurred in Germany. This resulted in the destruction of that aircraft according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
The offending lithium-ion battery was in a battery box, although this did not contain the heat, smoke and gases. An instructor sitting to the right of the pilot managed to open the door beside them a crack.
This allowed the worst of the smoke to escape. The pilot was able to land the aircraft safely by flying downwind. The IAAI recommends reviewing the battery box location, in order to minimize the impact on aircraft occupants following a battery fire.
More Information
Avoid a Lithium-Ion Battery Fire – Here’s How
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Tracking System
