A tense moment occurred on a JetBlue flight from Los Angeles to Boston when the cabin was filled with smoke due to a faulty cell phone. Such a situation could cause panic among the plane’s passengers, but fortunately, cabin crew members immediately intervened and quickly controlled the situation.

Smoke in the cabin

On 20 August JetBlue The flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) encountered a tricky situation during landing. According to CBS News, passengers saw smoke rising from the first-class cabin.

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

The incident occurred on board an Airbus A321 on flight B6 988, an overnight flight departing LAX at 10:25 p.m. and arriving in Boston at 7:01 a.m.

One of the passengers on the flight, Laura Benson, told CBS News she saw heavy smoke coming from the seating area of ​​the first-class cabin. She added that there was a strong smell of burning plastic and shortly after, the cabin was filled with smoke.

Cabin crew takes action

The flight attendants on the plane wasted no time in clarifying the situation and began clearing the space by moving passengers to other empty seats away from the smoke. Benson said:

“They got the fire extinguisher, made sure everyone was safe and out of their seats and that everyone was safely seated in other seats, and then they announced that they were going to turn on the air conditioning to clear the air because that’s when the eyes started to hurt.”

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Eventually, the cabin crew members decided to stow the phone in the toilet and close the door. After a few tense moments, the situation seemed to be under control and relieved passengers started clapping to appreciate the flight attendants’ efforts and quick thinking.

JetBlue said the flight landed safely and that no injuries were reported following the incident. The airline added that it would work with the relevant authorities to investigate the incident.

Not the first time

There have been numerous incidents in the past where a faulty cell phone has led to flight disruptions. Earlier this month, a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Miami had to be diverted to Palm Beach after smoke was seen coming from a cell phone.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

In 2021, an Alaska Airlines flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) to Seattle Tacoma International (SEA) had a Cell phone fire on board after landing The incident led to an emergency evacuation of the occupants via evacuation slides.

The main reason why cell phones catch fire is the lithium batteries used in them. One of the reasons why it is not recommended to recover cell phones when they get stuck between airplane seats is because the Damage to the battery may potentially cause a fire .

That’s exactly what happened on a British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Tampa, Florida in 2020. A passenger’s cell phone got caught in the folding mechanism of a business class seat. The phone’s battery was apparently punctured, causing smoke to rise from the seat and the flight to be diverted to Bermuda.

Related

Passenger’s phone crushed in British Airways seat, causing diversion