A Samsung Galaxy Note 2 device catches fire on an IndiGo flight from Singapore to Chennai on 23rd September. The device caught fire when the plane was about to make the landing.
While on the flight, the device was kept in the overhead bin. A few passengers on the 6E – 054 flight noticed the smoke smell and immediately alerted the crew. The crew then noticed smoke coming out from the overhead bin of seat no. 23 C and found that the smoke emission was from the device after possibly catching fire. Crew simultaneously informed the pilot-in-command. The crew promptly used the fire extinguishers and controlled the fire. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a government body that oversees airworthiness standards & safety operations asked all the flyers to be careful with all Samsung Note devices.
What DGCA had to say:
A DGCA spokesman said “We advise flyers to exercise caution while flying with Samsung Note devices. They should either keep these devices switched off or not travel with them”. The aircraft had made a normal landing at the Chennai airport where all the passengers were deplaned as per standard airport procedures. The Samsung mobile that was caught on fire will be further sent for examined by the concerned authorities.
What Samsung India had to say:
A spokesperson from Samsung said: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our devices. At Samsung, customer safety is our highest priority. We are in touch with relevant authorities to gather more information, and are looking into the matter.”
For Samsung, this incident has come at a very unfortunate point. Even Galaxy Note 7 had to be recalled worldwide between reports of battery explosion. Also, earlier this month, several Indian airlines issued an advisory to let the air travelers know that they shouldn’t turn on or charge their Note 7 devices when in-flight. Samsung is yet to launch the Galaxy Note 7 mobile in India.
The Galaxy Note 2 smartphones were launched in India in the year 2012 and Samsung no longer markets the smartphone for which it is not fair to blame Samsung. The phone has probably been in operation for at least 3 years now. Keeping that in mind, the smart phone could have been using an old battery that became swollen. Batteries usually swell when exhibited towards high temperatures. This makes te phone more susceptible to catching fire while on a flight.
