On August 23, when an Alaska Airlines flight from New Orleans to Seattle landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a passenger’s cell phone caught fire in the cabin. An Alaska Airlines spokesman, Cooper, told the Associated Press that after the flight from New Orleans landed on Monday night, passengers’ phones overheated and started to produce sparks.
Cooper said in an email: After a lot of investigation, I can tell you that this phone was burned beyond recognition. However, during an interview with one of our Port of Seattle police officers, the passenger claimed that the phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21. Similarly, we cannot confirm by looking at the wreckage of the equipment.
It is reported that the passengers evacuated the plane through an evacuation slide, and two of them were treated at the local hospital. A Twitter user said they were on the flight, and he described the cabin as like a smoke machine.
The Port of Seattle said in a series of tweets on Monday night that the incident did not cause serious casualties, nor did it affect airport operations. A Samsung spokesperson said that the company has been aware of the situation and is undergoing a thorough investigation. the Galaxy A21 was released in April 2020 and is equipped with a 4000 mAh battery.
This incident is reminiscent of the Galaxy Note 7 nightmare that Samsung experienced five years ago. In 2016, dozens of mobile phone explosions or deflagrations occurred in the aircraft due to battery defects. The Korean electronics giant had to recall the device twice and eventually ceased production of the aircraft.
