Southwest Flight Evacuated After Samsung Device Emitted Smoke -- Update
06 October 2016 - 10:14AM
Dow Jones News
By Georgia Wells
Smoke coming from a Samsung Electronics Co. device prompted
Southwest Airlines Co. to evacuate a flight Wednesday.
A customer on board Southwest Flight 994 from Louisville, Ky.,
to Baltimore noticed smoke coming from the device before the plane
took off, Southwest said.
Neither Samsung nor the airline identified what model of Samsung
device was involved. "Until we are able to retrieve the device, we
cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7," a
Samsung spokeswoman said, referring to the Galaxy Note 7 phones
that were prone to catching fire.
Samsung is working with authorities and Southwest to recover the
device and confirm the cause of smoke, she said.
In September, Samsung initiated a recall to replace one million
Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the U.S. that could ignite because of
faulty lithium-ion batteries. Shortly after, the Federal Aviation
Administration urged passengers to avoid using Note 7 smartphones
entirely on board airlines.
If the device that overheated on the Southwest flight is a
replacement Note 7 distributed during the recall, it would
undermine a recall process that has already been plagued by
confusion and consumer frustration.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the
incident and has reached out to the FAA, Samsung and the owner of
the phone, said the commission's chairman Elliot Kaye. In
September, the commission launched a formal recall of the Note 7,
two weeks after Samsung announced a voluntary recall of the
smartphone.
Samsung's devices aren't the only electronics to catch fire.
Lithium-ion batteries, like the ones in Samsung's Note 7 phones,
power many of today's mobile electronic devices and have also been
known to catch fire.
Many airlines began ordering travelers to turn off their Note 7
phones before boarding the aircraft.
The passengers on the Southwest flight exited safely through the
main cabin door, according to Southwest. There were 75 people
aboard, including passengers and crew, according to the Louisville
International Airport public safety department, which said it
responded to the incident at 9:20 a.m.
"We encourage our customers to comply with the FAA Pack Safe
guidelines, " Southwest said.
Last month, Samsung began replacing the phones with new devices
equipped with different batteries. The recall was dogged by
conflicting information and Samsung's failure at the outset to
coordinate efforts with U.S. safety authorities.
--Doug Cameron and John McKinnon contributed to this
article.
Write to Georgia Wells at Georgia.Wells@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 05, 2016 18:59 ET (22:59 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024