GUWAHATI: In a bizzare incident, a passenger's smart phone caught fire mid-air on IndiGo's Dibrugarh-Delhi flight on Thursday.
As per reports, the flight 6E 2037 was heading to Delhi from Dibrugarh in Assam when a cabin crew member saw sparks and smoke emitting from a passenger's phone, however, the cabin crew doused it with the help of a fire extinguisher.
In a statement, IndiGo said, "There was an incident of a mobile device battery heating up abnormally on flight 6E 2037 from Dibrugarh to Delhi. The crew is trained to manage all hazardous incidences and they quickly managed the situation. There was no harm caused to any passenger or property onboard."
It is to be mentioned here that earlier the Galaxy Note 7 by Samsung which was a flagship device launched in 2016, which was found to have come with a major battery manufacturing flaw soon after it was commercially launched and shipments begun.
Samsung initially issued a recall, which then soon became so widespread that a ban on the smartphone was issued.
With this Samsung not only lost billions of dollars in process, but also underwent the indignation caused by it. The Galaxy Note 7 was subsequently banned by all aircrafts.
Although there are many reasons which may lead a smart phone to catch fire or explode but experts suggests that as modern mobile devices are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which contain a careful balance of positive and negative electrodes to allow for recharging.
When something goes wrong, the inner components of the battery can break down and create a volatile reaction that can lead to fires.
On the other hand physical damage—the kind sustained from a fall or excessive bending—can disrupt the inner workings of the battery. Leaving the phone out in the sun for too long, malware overworking the CPU, or a charging debacle can all cause short circuiting within the device.
While there are steps you can take to alleviate some of the strain you may put on your phone's battery, there's not a whole lot you can do if the issue is a manufacturing defect or naturally degrading power source. Batteries must be rigorously tested for faulty components, but cheaply made units may possess imperfections that can cause a phone to overheat.
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