A Lufthansa aircraft with more than 400 passengers aboard was traveling from
Los Angeles
to Munich had to make an unscheduled stop after a passenger’s
iPad
became ‘jammed’ in a seat.
The plane departed from Los Angeles late on Wednesday heading towards
Germany
However, it was redirected to Logan International Airport in Boston because an iPad got stuck in a Business Class seat.
‘The flight crew and air traffic controllers grew worried about the iPad potentially overheating and causing a fire, following noticeable deformations caused by the movement of the seat.’
WCVB
reported.
The Airbus A380 touched down in Boston at approximately 2:30 am on Thursday, when an aviation technician from the airline extracted the iPad.
Lufthansa informed the outlet that the detour of Flight LH453 was “a solely preventative step” aimed at ensuring passenger safety.
Lufthansa stated that ‘the safety of our passengers and crew remains our utmost concern,’ as reported by Business Insider.
The diversion resulted in a three-hour delay for the 461 passengers on board, who then landed in Munich at 4.35pm local time.
The lithium-ion batteries utilized in iPads may present a significant fire hazard for travelers aboard an aircraft should the tablet sustain damage.
In 2023, a United Airlines flight heading to Newark Airport in New Jersey had to make an emergency diversion.
return to San Diego Airport
after a passenger’s laptop burst into flames.
Four flight attendants
operating within the cabin of the United Airlines Boeing 737
stopped the fire from expanding farther by using fire extinguishers to douse the flames.
As they battled the flames heroically, they ended up inhaling smoke. Following an urgent landing, the four staff members were rushed to the hospital for medical care.
The cause of the battery igniting shortly after takeoff, when the aircraft carrying 159 passengers lifted off at 7:15 am, remains unclear. Only 11 minutes into the flight, the plane had to make an emergency landing again.
The danger would have been even greater if the battery pack had been insidechecked luggage rather than in the main cabin.
Shortly after takeoff, the plane issued an Alert 2, signaling a significant issue with the aircraft—in this instance, there was a fire involving an electrical device in the cabin—according to a statement released by San Diego Airport.
The plane touched down securely at San Diego International Airport, with emergency personnel responding to the aircraft and aiding the passengers.
Caroline Lipinski, who was also on the flight, witnessed the entire incident from her seat.
‘A man had a bag that started smoking, so he dropped an item on the ground; it turned out to be either a battery charger or a laptop accessory which immediately caught fire.’
“I heard someone shout ‘fire.’ I looked ahead and saw the light,” explained another passenger.
The number of lithium battery fires on U.S. flights has increased by 388 percent since 2015, according to CBS News. On average, there is an aircraft fire caused by these batteries almost every two days.
It was reported that the main reason stemmed from power banks, making up 43 percent of all incidents.
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