Last week, a Delta Air Lines flight was delayed after an e-cigarette ignited itself in a passengers’ carry-on bag. Days later, an Alaska Airlines flight experienced a similarly explosive situation when the iPhone 6 of one traveler allegedly burst into flames midair.
Alaska Airlines, along with the Federal Aviation Administration and Apple, say they’re investigating after the shocking situation occurred Thursday night on a flight from Washington to Hawaii, KOMO-TV in Seattle reports.
The iPhone’s owner, a Seattle woman, says she was watching a movie on the device when flames starting shooting out of the smartphone.
“When it started I thought we were going down, and I was like, ‘oh my god, there’s a fire on the plane,'” the traveler recalls, noting that the flames were about eight-inches high.
“And I flipped it off onto the ground and it got under someone’s seat, and the flames were just getting higher and a bunch of people stood up,” the girl says.
The flight, which was carrying 163 passengers, was about 90 minutes from its destination, flying over the Pacific Ocean, when the issue occurred.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines says the crew was trained for situations like this, and that the fire was quickly put out. No injuries or damage was reported.
The FAA, Apple, and the airline say they are looking into the incident, but have yet to determine why the phone burst into flames.
It’s unclear if the phone was being charged at the time of the incident, but pictures show a cable nearby.
9 to 5 Mac reports that it was unknown if the charging cord was from Apple or an aftermarket product, noting that some aftermarket charging cords have been connected to fires.
Girl’s iPhone bursts into flames mid-flight: ‘I thought we were going down’ [KOMO News]
Airline, FAA & Apple investigate as iPhone 6 catches fire on Alaska Airlines flight to Hawaii [9 to 5 Mac]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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