A United Express flight to Houston was diverted after smoke began to come from a passenger’s electronic device. An emergency was declared because the smoke from the device could have led to a fire.
Click2Houston.com reported that United Express flight 6110, an Embraer E175 LR aircraft, was flying from Lubbock to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Due to the fire scare, it was diverted to San Antonio, where it landed safely.
The pilots’ quick thinking diverted the aircraft before a fire could ignite. Such is the nature of devices powered by lithium-ion batteries that release toxic smoke or catch fire due to thermal runaway, where rising temperatures in the battery cause it to release flammable gases and ignite.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that thermal runaway can occur without any warning due to several factors,”including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly packed. Thermal runaway can also occur on its own due to manufacturing defects.”
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That is one reason why passengers are asked to carry lithium-ion-powered devices and lithium metal batteries in carry-on baggage only. In the case of any battery-related emergency during flight, necessary action can be taken by the flight crew. The FAA stated:
“Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin. Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.”
Mesa Airlines, which operates United Express, was pressed into action to ensure passengers reached their final destinations once flight 6110 had landed safely in San Antonio.
This flight scare comes a few days after Air Canada Express flight 8646 crashed into a fire truck after touching down at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on March 22. MotorBiscuit reported the conversations between the air traffic controller, the pilot, and the fire truck moments before impact.
An incident with a United Airlines flight prompted the pilots to reject the takeoff and request a return to the gate as they sensed a fire on board.
But with all gates occupied at the busy airport, the controller had to manage the situation. What made matters worse was that the United Airlines flight made a wrong turn on a taxiway, adding to the chaos.
Amid the back-and-forth, the fire truck responding to the emergency crossed the runway where Air Canada Express flight 8646 had just landed, eventually leading to a collision.
The controller realized that he should have warned the fire truck to avoid crossing the runway in advance. It was too late by the time he ordered the fire truck driver to stop. The radio transcript reads:
10:17: Alright, there’s an incident on the field.
10:19: Yeah, we saw it, man.
11:42: Call us back at 10 minutes. There’s incident on the field. The airport’s closed right now.
18:08: We’re not moving aircraft right now, all right. when I have more for you, I will reach out. I don’t know, just call the tower and we’ll figure it out. This could have been a big incident.
25:22: I got the word that we’re gonna be close for a little while. If you want to prepare to return to the ramp, let me know.
25:26: Yeah, we got stuff in progress that’s for that, man. That was…that wasn’t good to watch.
25:31: Yeah, I know I was here. I tried to reach out to my stuff, and we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up.
25:37: No, man, you did the best you could.
