Lithium batteries have posed a risk, as a United Airlines flight was forced to turn back after a passenger lost their laptop in the cabin.
Flight UA126 from Washington Dulles to Rome Fiumicino was rerouted back to Virginia after departing around 10:22 pm local time. The flight was only an hour into its eight-hour journey when the pilot was made aware of a problem on board.
According to reports, a passenger’s laptop had turned on and fallen “behind a cabin wall panel and through a small gap leading to the cargo hold.” With lithium batteries posing a risk of causing a fire if damaged, starting to overheat, or being defective, the crew deemed it a safety risk.
To make matters worse, the laptop had fallen into a section of the cargo hold without a fire suppression system.
According to an air traffic control recording of the incident, you can hear the pilot request a turnaround and further explained the situation to the traffic control.
“We can’t access it, we can’t see it, so our decision is to return to Dulles and find this laptop before we can continue over the ocean,” said the pilot in the recording.
Air traffic control replied, stating they’ve “never heard of anything like that before,” as the plane rerouted and safely landed at Washington Dulles airport. It continued its journey to Rome after a three-hour delay to find the laptop and refuel.
Lithium batteries have often posed a risk on flights, with airlines warning passengers about the use of electronic devices while on board.
On Oct.18, an Air China flight made an emergency landing after a passenger’s carry-on luggage spontaneously combusted. Videos show flames and smoke emitting from the overhead bin before the passenger flagged down the crew.
Lithium batteries can self-heat as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly packed. They are often found in smartphones, laptops, tablets and e-readers, smartwatches and fitness trackers, and portable power banks.
