IndiGo power bank fire forces diversion in India

An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Chennai ended in Hyderabad on Sunday after a passenger's power bank burned in an overhead bin. Simple Flying reports that flight 6115, an Airbus A321neo, diverted to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The jet landed safely and no one was hurt.

Video from the cabin, widely shared since, shows passengers working to contain the fire and get clear of it. IndiGo moved the passengers onto another aircraft to finish the trip to Chennai. Simple Flying reports that a full investigation will cover what caused the failure and the damage to the jet, tail number VT-NOE.

In a statement reported by WION, IndiGo said smoke from a customer's personal electronic device led to the diversion. The airline added: "The cabin crew responded promptly, and the situation was brought under control."

The crew on flight 6115 caught the problem early and the pilots took the aircraft down at once, which is what the procedure is built for.

Why an overhead bin makes it worse

Simple Flying describes the failure as thermal runaway and calls it one of the most dangerous things that can happen in the air. A lithium-ion fire is a chemical chain reaction rather than an ordinary one. It makes its own oxygen and burns hot, often above 600°C (1,112°F). That heat bursts the cells next to the failing one, and they go off one after another, throwing a torch-like flame onto whatever is close by: bags, clothes, nylon. Even after the flames are out, the reaction can restart minutes later.

A closed bin holds heat and smoke in, which speeds up the ignition of everything around the battery. The fire can smolder out of sight until pressure forces the door open and flames reach the cabin. Above the ceiling panels sit wiring, control lines and composite panels, so a fire that burns through the top of a bin can reach the systems that fly and navigate the aircraft. In a cargo hold the problem is different: nobody sees the smoke until it has had time to grow.

Smoke is the bigger danger. A cabin fire gives off carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and vaporized plastic, and inhalation kills faster than flames do. Simple Flying reports that once an uncontained cabin fire takes hold, crews usually have 15 to 19 minutes to land, because smoke can leave flight attendants unable to see and pilots unable to fly.

The rule that would have kept it out of the bin

IndiGo's policy allows power banks in hand baggage only, and the same goes for loose or spare lithium batteries. The airline forbids them in overhead compartments and in checked luggage. Simple Flying reports that the battery on flight 6115 was stowed in breach of that policy.

That rule is not a formality. The bin is where a failing battery does the most damage to the cabin around it, and the hold is where nobody notices it in time.

What it means for your next trip

• Before you fly, take power banks and spare batteries out of any bag you plan to check.
• On board, keep them in the hand baggage at your seat, not in the bin above your head.
• If one starts to smoke, tell a crew member at once.

The one thing to do now: open your carry-on before the next flight and check where the power bank is. If it is in the bag that goes in the bin, or in the suitcase you check, move it.

• aviation safety
• Chennai
• Delhi
• IndiGo
• lithium batteries
• power banks