The Federal Aviation Administration said in a paper filed recently with a U.N. agency that its tests show that when a laptop’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery overheats in close proximity to an aerosol spray can, it can cause an explosion capable of disabling an airliner’s fire suppression system. The fire could then rage unchecked, leading to “the loss of the aircraft,” the paper said.
The U.N. agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization, sets global aviation safety standards, although member countries must still ratify them. The proposed ban is on the agenda of a meeting of ICAO’s panel on dangerous goods being held this week and next week in Montreal.
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In one test, an 8-ounce aerosol can of dry shampoo — which is permitted in checked baggage — was strapped to the laptop. There was a fire almost immediately and it grew rapidly. The aerosol can exploded within 40 seconds.
The test showed that because of the rapid progression of the fire, Halon gas fire suppressant systems used in airline cargo compartments would be unable to put out the fire before there was an explosion, the FAA said.
The explosion might not be strong enough to structurally damage the plane, but it could damage the cargo compartment and allow the Halon to escape, the agency said. Then there would be nothing to prevent the fire from spreading.
Other tests of laptop batteries packed with potentially dangerous consumer goods that are permitted in checked baggage like nail polish remover, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol also resulted in large fires, although no explosions.
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The paper says the European Safety Agency, the FAA’s counterpart in Europe; Airbus, one of the world’s largest makers of passenger airliners; the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Association, and the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Association, which represents aircraft makers, concurred in the recommendation.
The paper doesn’t address whether the ban should extend to domestic flights, but points out the risk that baggage containing a large electronic device could be transferred from one flight to another without the knowledge of the airline.
The FAA said it believes most devices larger than a smartphone are already being carried by passengers into the cabin, rather than put in checked bags.
Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cellphones and laptops to electric cars. Manufacturers like them because they pack more energy into smaller packages, but the batteries can self-ignite if they have a manufacturing flaw, are damaged, exposed to excessive heat, overcharged or packed too closely together.
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Since 2006, three cargo jets have been destroyed and four pilots killed by in-flight fires that investigators say were either started by batteries or made more severe by their proximity.
Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed a ban on laptops in the cabins of planes coming into the country from 10 Middle Eastern airports for security reasons. The ban was fully lifted in July after U.S. officials said airports in the region had taken other steps to increase security.
FAA warns airlines about electronics in checked bags
As airlines flying into the United States adjust to new, tighter security rules designed to catch bombs or explosives hidden in electronic devices, the Department of Transportation is weighing in on the safest place in a plane for laptops, tablets and other devices powered by lithium-ion batteries.
It is not in the cargo hold, according to the FAA. The agency's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety says portable electronic devices pose less of a fire threat when carried on-board instead of being packed into checked bags.
In a notice the agency issued earlier this week, the FAA said, "devices containing lithium metal or lithium ion batteries (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.) should be transported in carry-on baggage and not placed in checked baggage."
The primary reason laptops are safer in the passenger cabin is because the flight crew or passengers at least have a chance to put out a fire if one is sparked by the batteries in an electronic device.
That conclusion is not an edict banning airlines from allowing passengers to put their electronics in checked bags.
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The advisory backs up a complaint issued by many in the airline industry after the Department of Homeland Security issued tighter security rules for certain flights from the Middle East to the U.S. earlier this year. Those rules, which have since been modified, banned passengers from having electronic devices larger than a cell phone in their carry-on bags. At the time, Homeland Security was acting on intelligence that indicated terrorists may try to hide an explosive in an electronic device or use several devices to detonate a bomb.
As soon as that rule went into effect in March, safety advocates warned of the potential risk of lithium-ion batteries igniting in a checked bag and sparking a larger, uncontrollable fire in the cargo hold that could bring down a commercial airplane.
That concern prompted the Fire Safety Branch of the FAA to conduct tests looking at the potential hazards of putting laptop computers and other electronic devices in checked bags.
It's conclusion was clear: large electronics are safer in the passenger cabin than in the cargo hold.
In late June, the U.S. modified its security protocol for all international flights, requiring enhanced security ranging from tighter screening to the use of new, more advanced, carry-on bag screeners that can more easily detect a potential bomb.
"It is time we raise the global baseline of aviation security," said John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security in announcing the tighter security rules.
Since then, several airlines say they have enhanced security and have announced the TSA has approved their procedures.
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