KLM B772 near Phuket on May 9th 2018, thermal runaway of passenger's mobile phone
Last Update: December 16, 2019 / 15:28:58 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
May 9, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
KLM
Flight number
KL-809
Departure
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Destination
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Aircraft Registration
PH-BQB
Aircraft Type
Boeing 777-200
ICAO Type Designator
B772
The airline reported: "Flight KL 809 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur made a stopover in Phuket, Thailand. Smoke accumulated in the cabin when a passenger's mobile phone overheated. The crew handled the situation well and the captain opted to land the aircraft as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed safely and at no time were passengers or crew in danger. A safety check has since been carried out in the cabin and the aircraft has been released for departure. Owing to compulsory crew work and rest times, the flight to Kuala Lumpur cannot continue immediately and passengers and crew are being accommodated in hotels in Phuket. As a result, the flight has incurred an 18-hour delay. The onward flight to Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta- Kuala Lumpur has been cancelled. KLM regrets the inconvenience this is causing our passengers."
On Dec 16th 2019 the Dutch Onderzoeksraad (DSB) reported a passenger in the business class had been asleep, woke up and put his seat into the upright position, which crushed his mobile phone which as result suffered a thermal runaway of the Lithium Ion battery, a signficant amount of smoke was released concentrated in a small portion of the cabin, which was separated by curtains. Cabin crew used halon fire extinguishers and about 10-20 liters of water to stop the smoke development and reduce the risk of fire. Initially cabin crew could not move the phone out of the seat, the use of a fire axe and a change of seat position finally permitted to extract the phone from the seat. The crew subsequently secured the phone in a contained filled with water and placed into the aft galley as "dangerous goods". None of the crew had used oxygen masks or protective gloves. Two cabin crew reported irritations in the respiratory tract as well as the eyes. Two other flight attendants received minor injuries to their hands. The captain decided to divert to Phuket due to concerns over the quantity of water used to extinguish the thermal runway and the possibility the seat was still smoldering. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
May 9, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
KLM
Flight number
KL-809
Departure
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Destination
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Aircraft Registration
PH-BQB
Aircraft Type
Boeing 777-200
ICAO Type Designator
B772
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
KLM B772 near Kazan on Dec 16th 2019, hydraulic problem
A KLM Boeing 777-200, registration PH-BQB performing flight KL-861 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), was enroute at FL330 about…
Fleet type match
KLM B738 at Amsterdam on Jan 12th 2022, cabin pressure problem
A KLM Boeing 737-800, registration PH-BXE performing flight KL-1151 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Oslo (Norway), was climbing out of Amsterdam's…
Fleet type match
KLM B739 at Amsterdam on Jan 2nd 2021, rejected takeoff due to door indication
A KLM Boeing 737-900, registration PH-BXT performing flight KL-1125 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Copenhagen (Denmark), was accelerating for…
Fleet type match
KLM B773 at Accra on Sep 3rd 2021, rejected takeoff due to bird strike
A KLM Boeing 777-300, registration PH-BVK performing flight KL-590 from Accra (Ghana) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was accelerating for takeoff from…
Fleet type match
KLM A332 at Entebbe on Dec 18th 2021, engine shut down in flight
A KLM Airbus A330-200, registration PH-AOE performing flight KL-535 (sched. dep Dec 17th, act. dep Dec 18th) from Entebbe (Uganda) to Amsterdam…
KLM B773 at Johannesburg and Amsterdam on Nov 22nd 2021, lost gear door, tyre damage
A KLM Boeing 777-300, registration PH-BVN performing flight KL-592 from Johannesburg (South Africa) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), departed…
Newest articles
TUM CRJ2 at Hermosillo on Jan 21st 2022, runway excursion on landing
A TUM Aerocarga Canadair CRJ-200, registration XA-MCE performing flight T2-6000 from Culiacan to Hermosillo (Mexico), landed on Hermosillo's runway…
Endeavor CRJ2 at Kalamazoo on Dec 26th 2021, wing tip strike on landing
An Endeavor Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N8980A performing flight DL-4777 from Detroit,MI to Kalamazoo,MI…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
Get updates
Never miss an article from AeroInside. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and join 4930 existing subscribers.
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways