Headphones explode mid-flight burning passenger’s face, hands

An unexpected incident occurred on a flight from Beijing to Melbourne when a passenger’s wireless headphones exploded mid-flight causing major distress to the passengers on-board.

According to the details of the incident provided, a woman was listening to music on her own battery-operated headphones, when she dozed-off while having them over her ears. About two hours into the flight, there was a loud explosion.

“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she told the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) which investigated the incident.

“I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck. I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor.

“They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.”

Flight attendants quickly rushed to help extinguish the fire and poured a bucket of water over the burning headphones. Despite the timely action, the battery and its cover had melted and stuck to the floor.

Due to the burning plastic smell, passengers started coughing and choking and they had to endure the pungent smell throughout the remaining flight.

Upon investigation by the ATSB, it was established that the lithium-ion batteries likely caught fire, causing the accident.

“As the range of products using batteries grows, the potential for in-flight issues increases,” it said, adding that such devices needed to be stored safely if they were not being used.

Spare batteries should be kept in carry-on luggage, and not checked in, the bureau said.

The woman and the airline, on which the incident took place, were not named by the ATSB.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=54630

Posted by fatimaarshad on Mar 15 2017. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.