The lithium battery problem has hit Australia - fire on Domestic Flight

[RSD]

Just saw this on facebook posted by Pulse Tasmania -

"A Virgin Australia flight has landed safely in Hobart after cabin crew extinguished a fire that broke out in an overhead locker during the aircraft's descent.
Flight VA1528 from Sydney was approaching Hobart just after 9am today when passengers reported smelling smoke approximately 10 minutes before landing.
According to those on board, the crew opened an overhead compartment and discovered a lithium battery on fire, with passengers telling Pulse they saw flames leap out of the locker when it was opened.
Cabin crew extinguished the fire by dousing the overhead compartment with water after initial attempts with onboard fire extinguishers were reportedly unsuccessful.
Once on the ground, airport firefighters boarded the aircraft and removed the bag containing the smouldering battery.
A Virgin spokesperson told Pulse no passengers required medical treatment, but both flight and cabin crew were checked over by paramedics as a precaution and given the all-clear.
The aircraft VH-YFY is currently being inspected for damage and a replacement aircraft is being arranged for the return flight to Sydney, the spokesperson said."

 

[elanshin]

I legitimately wonder if the battery and the compounds being used now are different to the ones used previously. Maybe in the pursuit of making more efficient smaller batteries, they're less plane safe now than older units.

The rate of incidents seem to be a lot of higher in recent years. Granted it's also more likely there are more people carrying battery banks, but I felt like batteries aren't necessarily anything new, I've had them for over a decade now.

Or is it just different social behaviours now with higher phone/tablet usages that means more charging than in years before.

 

[DejaBrew]

Perhaps it's also to do with cheaper brands and inferior products coming into the market. There are countless no-name brands that seem to manufacture/sell batteries and I wonder if the quality control is lacking.

 

[burningrage]

Perhaps it's also to do with cheaper brands and inferior products coming into the market. There are countless no-name brands that seem to manufacture/sell batteries and I wonder if the quality control is lacking.

This! But we all get the consequences for the crime of few.

We also don't know in this story whether or not the power bank was found to be charging. Usually for this to happen, it would be found to be charging while on the plane (ie: If the powerbank is stationary and not being used, then there shouldn't be any trigger).

 

[oz_mark]

Bunch of reasons, but proliferation of devices, cheap and nasty chargers, damaged batteries (eg by dropping a phone), and manufacturing defects are probably all involved.

Not just on planes - house fires caused by batteries seem to be on the up as well.

 

[Flyerwin]

Good reason to ban them in checked-in luggage. Imagine if that happened in the cargo hold.

You can't travel nowadays without a portable battery especially for longer haul flights so not sure how these can be avoided unless you start enforcing a standard for "certified" travel-safe batteries...

 

[AuSammy]

Just checked in for my JQd flight and advised battery cant be in checked luggage or in overhead locker. Must have it with me.

 

[DejaBrew]

....or in overhead locker

Is that a new requirement for JQ?

 

[AuSammy]

Is that a new requirement for JQ?

Not sure. Cant recall the overhead locker bit before.

 

[markis10]

Sounds like the crew used the BCF extinguisher first, then went with water which is best to cool it down.

 

[lovestotravel]

Fail to see the need for a cheap battery bank

My laptop lasts nearly 15+ hours
My phone easily a day on powersave mode
Tablet 10+ hours

Can easily charge in a car/airport/hotel/most places and never see the need for a portable battery

 

[RSD]

I don't carry a power bank when travelling - haven't found a need to even though I have one of the most power-hungry laptops you could imagine.

 

[DejaBrew]

Fail to see the need for a cheap battery bank

My laptop lasts nearly 15+ hours
My phone easily a day on powersave mode
Tablet 10+ hours

Can easily charge in a car/airport/hotel/most places and never see the need for a portable battery

This is all well and good when the equipment is new or new-ish.

My work laptop (2 years old) lasts 3-4 hours max on battery save mode.
My work-issued iPhone 12 lasts the day on power save mode (i.e. provided I don't actually want to do anything with it).
My Apple Watch 6 lasts most of the day on power save mode (i.e. provided I don't do too much with it beyond the odd Apple Pay payment, check the time and maybe track a workout).
My tablet lasts a good chunk of hours, but certainly not as long as it once did.

Agree that there's no need for a cheap and nasty power bank, but a decent one can be invaluable when you're on the road or travelling abroad.

 

[Quickstatus]

Cheap battery with dodgy battery management system.

 

[RSD]

Sounds like the crew used the BCF extinguisher first, then went with water which is best to cool it down.

Get the battery submerged in water as quickly as possible is by far the best way because when a lithium battery goes into thermal runaway it generates its own (copious) amounts of oxygen as part of the chemical reaction/thermal decomposition - damn things are a menace.

 

[Flyerwin]

News article on this:

Fire onboard as Virgin flight descends into Hobart

A passenger on a Sydney to Hobart Virgin flight has been treated for suspected smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in an overhead locker, with an airport worker saying witnesses described a "small ball of fire" onboard the aircraft.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Just saw this on facebook posted by Pulse Tasmania -

"A Virgin Australia flight has landed safely in Hobart after cabin crew extinguished a fire that broke out in an overhead locker during the aircraft's descent.
Flight VA1528 from Sydney was approaching Hobart just after 9am today when passengers reported smelling smoke approximately 10 minutes before landing.
According to those on board, the crew opened an overhead compartment and discovered a lithium battery on fire, with passengers telling Pulse they saw flames leap out of the locker when it was opened.
Cabin crew extinguished the fire by dousing the overhead compartment with water after initial attempts with onboard fire extinguishers were reportedly unsuccessful.
Once on the ground, airport firefighters boarded the aircraft and removed the bag containing the smouldering battery.
A Virgin spokesperson told Pulse no passengers required medical treatment, but both flight and cabin crew were checked over by paramedics as a precaution and given the all-clear.
The aircraft VH-YFY is currently being inspected for damage and a replacement aircraft is being arranged for the return flight to Sydney, the spokesperson said."

See I’m confused!

What is the correct procedure to extinguish a lithium battery fire?

I thought water was the last thing to use because it reacted with the l battery and made the fire worse?

If I relied on that article I’d think extinguishers weren’t useful and I needed to use water?

 

[RooFlyer]

My phone easily a day on powersave mode

But what if you want to use the phone for what it can do? My new-ish iPhone def needs a top-up during walking-touring around, browsing on bus etc.

 

[RSD]

See I’m confused!

What is the correct procedure to extinguish a lithium battery fire?

I thought water was the last thing to use because it reacted with the l battery and made the fire worse?

If I relied on that article I’d think extinguishers weren’t useful and I needed to use water?

You do need to use water - only way to interrupt a thermal runaway is to submerse a battery in water which cools it so that the chemical reaction in the thermal runaway stops producing oxygen. Fire extinguishers of any sort haven't been found to be reliably effective against a lithium battery in thermal runaway.

 

[Matt_01]

But what if you want to use the phone for what it can do? My new-ish iPhone def needs a top-up during walking-touring around, browsing on bus etc.

IMO I would be careful, I live in the apple ecosystem. In Japan a month or so back I was using a battery charger that I have have been using for a couple of years, it cooked my apple watch, my iphone auto shut down and would not charge until it was connected and reset from the mains. I recall having a similar discussion with one of the mods who had asked why and when I swapped from my old (automatic) watch, wont mention the brand, those who know me will know. As info once back in AU Apple could not fix the problem and suggested I just buy new stuff.