A laptop that was “stuck in an inaccessible location” in the cabin of a United Airlines aircraft caused a transatlantic flight to be diverted this weekend, arriving at its final destination more than a day later, according to the airline.
United Airlines Flight 12 departed Zurich on Sunday morning and was heading toward Chicago when it flew over the Atlantic Ocean about five hours into the nearly 10-hour flight, according to FlightAware. The Boeing 767 was diverted to Shannon, Ireland, “to address a potential safety hazard” caused by the missing laptop, a United Airlines spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email.
The airline has not confirmed where the laptop was trapped.
Electronic devices that use lithium batteries are “a great source of energy, cheap and reliable, but unfortunately they are extremely volatile,” Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts with more than 55 years of pilot experience, told USA TODAY. “The term (airlines) use is (thermal) escape, which basically means catching fire.”
Pressure from the seat or movement of the seats may have caused the laptop battery to ignite.
Once on fire, “you can’t put them out even by submerging them in water…that was the crew’s fear, that the laptop would catch fire. Obviously, we cannot have fire on board the aircraft.”
As the crew reached maximum service hours, the flight had to be rescheduled for the following day. “When they dodge, you’re adding time,” Aimer said.
The carrier said it provided hotel accommodations for the 157 passengers in Shannon and arranged for a new plane to resume the flight to Chicago on Monday.
Aimer warned passengers to “be very, very aware” of their electronics and to notify a crew member if any of them are getting hotter than normal. Some airlines now have specialized fire containment bags to help contain fire from devices.
The Federal Aviation Administration prohibited lithium ion and lithium metal batteries – such as power banks, laptops or cell phone battery charging cases – are stored in checked baggage and must be placed in carry-on luggage.
Between March 2006 and April 2024, there were 530 verified incidents involving lithium batteries that caused smoke, fire or extreme heat, according to the FAA. Of these, 387 were on passenger aircraft.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY and lives in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: United flight was diverted when a laptop was ‘stuck’ in the cabin
