On a trip from Taipei to Singapore, a powerbank portable charger caught fire and wounded two passengers.
The incident occurred on a Scoot flight on Tuesday, and video shows obvious flames and light rising from one row of passenger seats before the blaze was doused.
The footage, which was shared on various aviation websites and viral video accounts on Twitter, shows passengers screaming and terrified as personnel rushes to put out the fire. When the fire is eventually extinguished, smoke permeates the cabin.
Flight TR993 was set to leave Taiwan’s capital at 7.20 p.m. on January 10, but flames erupted from the portable charger as the plane taxied to the runway at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.
According to the airline, two passengers had “minor burns to their fingers,” and the plane returned to the airport so they could be treated, The Independent reported.
According to the airline, all passengers were able to exit safely, and the two wounded passengers got first aid care at the airport and did not need to be sent to a hospital.
Passenger’s power bank caught fire on #Scoot Airbus A320N (9V-TNE) flight #TR993 from #Taipei to #Singapore. The incident occurred while the aircraft was in the ground. Two passengers received minor injuries.
ЁЯОе┬йCNA#A320neo #Airbus #Powerbank #Taiwan #aviation #AvGeek #avgeeks pic.twitter.com/i1hDoohMPy
тАФ FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) January 12, 2023
Some airlines prohibit the use of powerbanks, which are prone to overheating and catching fire, while others advise customers to notify personnel if their gadgets grow hot to the touch.
Their lithium-ion batteries generate energy through electrochemical processes that generate heat naturally. Most airlines require customers to carry power banks in their hand baggage in case of emergency.
“Scoot flight TR993, operating from Taipei to Singapore on 10 January 2023, returned to the gate when a rechargeable battery bank belonging to a client overheated while the aircraft was on the ground,” a Scoot spokesperson was quoted by The Independent in its report.
тАЬThe aircraft returned safely to the gate. Medical assistance has been rendered to the owner of the power bank and his companion. The flight was rescheduled and affected passengers were provided with accommodation and meals. Scoot sincerely apologises for the incident. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority. Investigations into the incident are underway,тАЭ the spokesperson further stated.
It’s not the first time power banks have put flight travellers in danger: in 2020, a guy was forced to strip down to his underwear at the airport when an electrical item in his pocket caught fire.
Meanwhile, a Russian Ural Airways aircraft was evacuated last month after one of the charges on the runway at Moscow Domodedovo Airport caught fire.
Phone batteries have also caught fire on flights: in August 2021, one passenger’s mobile phone caught fire shortly after landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on an Alaska Airlines trip.