France A320 at Paris on Nov 2nd 2022, electronic cigarette on fire on short final

Last Update: August 13, 2024 / 11:07:34 GMT/Zulu time

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Photo of Air France F-HEPJ, Airbus A320 — Air France F-HEPJ, Airbus A320 (Photo credit: Alec BHX/KKC / Flickr / License: CC by-sa)

Incident Facts

Date of incident
Nov 2, 2022

Classification
Accident

Airline
Air France

Flight number
AF-9421

Departure
Malaga, Spain

Destination
Paris Charles de Gaulle, France

Aircraft Registration
F-HEPJ

Aircraft Type
Airbus A320

ICAO Type Designator
A320

An Air France Airbus A320-200, registration F-HEPJ performing flight AF-9421 from Malaga,SP (Spain) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 162 passengers and 6 crew, was on final approach to CDG's runway 26L when the lithium battery of a passenger's electronic cigarette caught fire. Cabin crew intervened. The aircraft continued for a landing without further incident.

The French BEA reported on Nov 17th 2022 that cabin crew used the dedicated kit when the Lithium battery of a passenger's e-cigarette caught fire during final approach, one person received serious injuries. The BEA opened an investigation.

The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 18 hours after landing.

On Oct 31st 2023 the French BEA released their final report in French only (Editorial note: an English version of the report estimated to be released in due time) concluding the probable causes of the accident were:

- failure of the passenger to take into account previous signs of malfunctioning of the electronic cigarette;

- the passenger carrying the electronic cigarette in his trouser pocket, without using a use of a protective device to prevent accidental activation;

- failure to check that the electronic cigarette is completely extinguished before the flight.

On Aug 13th 2024 the BEA released the final report in English concluding the probable causes were:

The following factors may have contributed to the thermal runaway of the battery:

- the passenger not taking into account previous signs of the malfunctioning of the electronic cigarette;

- the passenger carrying the electronic cigarette in his trouser pocket without using any means to protect it from being accidentally activated;

- not checking that the electronic cigarette was completely switched off before the flight.

The BEA summarized the scenario

During the final approach, a passenger’s electronic cigarette caught fire and seriously burnt the passenger. The investigation was not able to determine the causes of this thermal runaway.

The cabin crew members rapidly intervened to extinguish the fire and take charge of the injured passenger. One of the cabin crew members did not manage to don her personal protective breathing equipment (hood).

The investigation was not able to determine if the hood defect was present before the equipment was handled or if it was the result of non-compliant handling of the equipment at the time of the occurrence.

The BEA released following safety lessons:

In just a few years, electronic cigarettes and other comparable devices have become familiar everyday objects that their users often do not perceive as a source of danger. As this occurrence shows, most of the time passengers are unaware of the risks associated with a faulty battery and/or a battery transported in conditions that do not comply with instructions.

Airline operators, and Air France in particular, frequently remind passengers of the dangers associated with the dangerous goods they are carrying via their website, via the general conditions associated with tickets, or at check-in. However, these measures may be insufficient, and the level of information provided to passengers does not always correlate with the level of danger represented by their electronic equipment. It is therefore for air operators, along with the other actors involved (oversight authorities, aerodrome operators, etc.) to take the necessary precautions to ensure that passengers are fully aware of the risks inherent in carrying devices using lithium batteries.

Once the fire had been extinguished, one of the cabin crew members picked up the battery using gloves to put it in a container filled with water, without waiting for it to cool down as recommended by the procedure. This action can be explained by the perceived urgency due to the flight phase and was in line with the sense of initiative required by the operator when situations fall outside the scope of the procedures. It should be remembered however, that during a thermal runaway, lithium batteries can reach extremely high temperatures which may exceed the resistance of protective equipment - particularly gloves - in the event of contact.