You may wonder what the connection between air transport, lithium batteries, and the number 55 is.
55 are the incidents involving lithium batteries that have given off smoke or have caught fire and burned on board an airplane in 2022: this is what emerges from the latest official reports by the FAA.
Of these 55 incidents, only 9 occurred on cargo planes. The other 46 concern lithium batteries carried aboard commercial flights in passengers' pockets or their hand luggage.
In 19 cases, the main suspects were electronic cigarettes. Other cases involved portable chargers (16), laptops (8), or cell phones (5).
Another good reason to quit smoking in 2023. 😬
We have decided to focus on air transport: thinking of a flying plane with a fire inside is scary enough. How would you keep safe? Also thinking of a fire on a road is worrying, what could the damages be? Again: think of transport by sea and its risks. What the possible consequences?
Is there always a safe escape way? In road transport, management is certainly “simpler” even if it is still dangerous.
See these two pictures of incidents caused by lithium batteries.
Packing correctly, with suitable and certified products, labeling, and marking your packages in a compliant manner will not eliminate the risks associated with the transport of these products but it will certainly reduce their number and consequences.
2022 Lithium Battery Incidents on Cargo Aircraft.
Below is a summary of all 2022 incidents involving lithium batteries transported on cargo aircraft, according to the Lithium Battery Air Incidents chart published by the FAA. The main common factor at the basis of these cargo plane incidents has been improper packaging, as well as damage to the batteries during sorting or loading, probably still the result of improper packaging.
January 3 (Printed circuit boards)
Printed circuit boards containing lithium batteries may have touched inside the package, "causing smoke, combustion, and charring of the content." Emergency personnel contained the fire.
January 28 (Electric vehicle battery)
An electric battery for large vehicles entered thermal runaway and burned during cargo sorting. The report mentions improper packaging as the most probable cause of thermal runaway and fire.
February 7 (Batteries)
A large shipment of lithium batteries caught fire, possibly when loose battery connections made contact inside the package. This caused a thermal runaway. Lithium batteries must be packed to prevent short circuits and damage to the battery terminals.
February 10 (Batteries)
Seven filmed pallets containing lithium batteries "began to produce sparks which turned into the fire." The fire extinguishers weren't effective. The firefighters intervened using a foam capable of smothering the fire to contain the blaze.
April 16 (Laptop)
A damaged laptop being returned to the manufacturer has started to smoke at a cargo hub. The smoking packaging was isolated.
April 26 (Handheld Game Device)
A package containing a "burnt and charred" portable game device was found in a cargo warehouse. According to the carrier's report, the damage was caused by one of the devices entering thermal runaway during transport.
May 30 (Laptop)
A laptop battery caught fire when the device was damaged outside a cargo freight yard.
July 13 (Batteries)
A package containing lithium batteries was damaged by a forklift that punctured a cargo unit. The damaged batteries started to smoke. The airline's emergency personnel managed the incident.
September 8 (Package Tracker)
A shipment tracking device running with a lithium battery caught fire inside a baggage cart at a cargo center. The battery short-circuited during the handling operation, and the fire was contained by airline personnel.
Ship safe!