Flames, Smoke, Toxic Gas: The Danger of Battery Fires on Planes (cnn.com)
- Reference: 0178848796
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/08/24/1653202/flames-smoke-toxic-gas-the-danger-of-battery-fires-on-planes
- Source link: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/22/travel/battery-fire-risks-planes
> The culprit was a passenger's personal lithium-ion battery pack, which had been tucked away in the carry-on bag. At the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aerospace in Atlantic City, New Jersey, fire safety engineers research and demonstrate just how bad it can be. "Lithium batteries can go into what's called thermal runaway," Fire Safety Branch Manager Robert Ochs, explained. "All of a sudden, it'll start to short circuit ... It will get warmer and warmer and warmer until the structure of the battery itself fails. At that point, it can eject molten electrolyte and flames and smoke and toxic gas...."
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> These thermal runaways are difficult to fight. The FAA recommends flight attendants first use a halon fire extinguisher, which is standard equipment on planes, but that alone may not be enough. In the test performed for CNN, the flames sprung back up in just moments... "Adding the water, as much water from the galley cart, non-alcoholic liquids, everything that they can get to just start pouring on that device." The problems are not new, but more batteries are being carried onto planes than ever before. Safety organization UL Standards and Engagement says today an average passenger flies with four devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. "The incidents of fire are rare, but they are increasing. We're seeing as many as two per week, either on planes or within airports," Jeff Marootian, the president and CEO of the organization, told CNN...
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> [T]he latest federal data shows external battery packs are the top cause of incidents, and as a result the FAA has banned them from checked baggage where they are harder to extinguish. But despite all of the warnings, UL Standards and Engagement says two in five passengers still say they check them.
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/22/travel/battery-fire-risks-planes
LiPo can be nasty. And they are aging... (Score:2)
I am in the process of phasing out all larger LiPo batteries I have. I will keep the small ones (AAA batteries and wireless mic, for example), but no power-banks. I do have a new LiFePo power bank, which is heavier, but a lot safer. LiFePo also lives longer.
Re: (Score:2)
You need to get your life together. Obviously you are sabotaging yourself time and again. If you think that aggression without factual basis works, you are deeply mistaken. Therapy might help, but only if you are open to it. Which may still take a long way.
wait but why? (Score:3)
Are there any stats on the rate of batteries going into thermal runaway when NOT in aircraft? Taken by itself, the claims quoted here seem out of line with any expectations. Do things get worse when the cabin pressure goes down a bit (approx to 8000 - foot atmos equivalent) ?
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Another interesting thing to test might be fairly abrupt changes to pressure. I think only aircraft will normally cause my ears to pop. Cars going up a mountain road is too gradual.
The photo is unrealistc (Score:2)
The photo in the linked article is not representative of what actually happens when a battery overheats.
> The FAA conducted a demonstration for CNN inside their research hangar to show what could happen. A rechargeable consumer battery pack, which might be used to charge a laptop or cell phone, was tucked into a seatback pocket and heated to more than 300 degrees to simulate the thermal runaway . Suddenly, sparks and fames violently erupted, scorching nearby seats and sending smoke billowing.
That's not what people do on planes.
I'm not saying that battery fires don't happen, or that they aren't sometimes scary. What I'm saying is that the photo and the test, exaggerated what happens in real life.
Battery swap may be the solution for flights (Score:2)
This could be part of the solution.
If one requires that all new devices have battery doors, so that batteries can easily be removed from them during flights, this might slightly reduce the risk of fire when expanding.
Ideally, there would be some standard sizes for these removable batteries, such as we already have with AA, AAAs, C, D, etc, that already exist with a wide choice of chemistries. There are even LiOn batteries of this type already, with built-in voltage converters. I have never tried those. My f
Ban LiPo and NCM now (Score:5, Informative)
LiPo and NCM Li-Ion batteries are inherently hazardous as they are prone to thermal runaway once problems begin.
LFPs (LiFePo4) can combust, but the danger is much lower because their electrolyte does not emit oxygen when heated. This makes them both less likely to combust, and easier to extinguish.
Once we have readily available safer chemistries (solid electrolyte?) we could look at banning LFPs as well, if that turned out to make sense. But we should especially just ban NCMs completely as they not only are high-risk (both ignition risk and the increased risk of being difficult to extinguish) but also are most toxic when they burn since they contain cobalt electrode material in exactly the way LFPs don't.
Re: Ban LiPo and NCM now (Score:2)
Small correction: oxygen is released by the cathode material, the electrolyte is the fuel. The fire triangle is completed by the heat released by the short circuit.
I'm afraid asking people at the check-in desk whether their no-name battery pack has LFP or NMC cells wouldn't be conclusive though.
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> Small correction: oxygen is released by the cathode material
Thanks for that.
> I'm afraid asking people at the check-in desk whether their no-name battery pack has LFP or NMC cells wouldn't be conclusive though.
That's why their sale has to be banned. It won't help with the units already in the wild, and obviously some will slip through, but it can still reduce harm.
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> I'm afraid asking people at the check-in desk whether their no-name battery pack has LFP or NMC cells wouldn't be conclusive though.
Yep. We will probably have to make selling LiPo / Li-Ion to regular people illegal before anything changes.
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> We will probably have to make selling LiPo / Li-Ion to regular people illegal before anything changes.
That is what I meant by "ban", I suppose I should have written out "ban the sale of".
As for your other comment, yes we will need to upgrade the safety systems on the planes no matter what, LFPs are not immune to combustion either.
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> That is what I meant by "ban", I suppose I should have written out "ban the sale of".
I think this is the only thing feasible. And, to be fair, quality LiPo and Li-Ion is very safe. Apparently even safer than other battery-operated equipment where the electronics still can go up in fire. The problem is aged and low-quality batteries.
As to safety-equipment, I have looked into LiPo/Li-Ion transport cases with filters and the like. They do exist and they are specifically intended for damaged and already heating up or burning batteries. I ended up getting some surplus ammo containers instead (fa
Re: (Score:2)
"The problem is aged and low-quality batteries."
Sounds like a fact pulled out of your ass.
But hey, customers will love the sale of their laptops being banned, as will Apple. Good thing /. is here to solve our problems!
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> But hey, customers will love the sale of their laptops being banned, as will Apple. Good thing /. is here to solve our problems!
It's unclear why you chose to leap to the defense of battery fires, but I guess this is how Slashdot is now.
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You'd probably need some kind of 'flight-safe' approval marking on the package like the other ones that already go on electronics, and bill people for the cost of the diversion if their unmarked battery pack catches fire.
Foreign scammers will still put fake approval marks on there but it would largely solve the problem for products from legitimate manufacturers.
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[1]https://www.smithcorona.com/bl... [smithcorona.com]
[1] https://www.smithcorona.com/blog/2023-guide-to-lithium-battery-labels/?srsltid=AfmBOoqJ-b6l-urXwAD4gFUNUNDtgqqltbaaPszhgRVGmX7HfqYN9t-I
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I've only seen those as stickers before. Are they actually moulded into the casings too?
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Well, yes. And no. Problem is that a lot of laptops and phones would not be allowed on planes anymore. Hence this is a process and might take a decade or longer. In the meantime, planes need to upgrade their safety equipment.
I do agree on LiFePo. After some research, I have replaced my large 100W Li-Ion power-bank with a LiFePo one. Heavier, but lives longer and much lower risk.
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Passengers will be pleased to have all their personal electronics banned from planes.
It's easier to talk about banning batteries, harder to talk about banning cell phones. This isn't a new problem, regulations already exist.
Re: (Score:2)
> It's easier to talk about banning batteries, harder to talk about banning cell phones. This isn't a new problem, regulations already exist.
> But despite all of the warnings, UL Standards and Engagement says two in five passengers still say they check them.
They should show the passengers episodes of Mayday on the in-flight entertainment system. Valujet 592, SAA 295, Swissair 111, etc. Not all fires caused by batteries of course but they will still get the idea.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mayday_episodes