iPhone 4 burns in flight
Summary
An iPhone began glowing red and emitting dense smoke on flight on a flight from Lismore to Sydney last week.
Topics
Passengers on a flight from Lismore to Sydney last Friday saw black smoke in the cabin, only to find that the source was a passenger's Apple iPhone 4, which had seemingly combusted mid flight.
The iPhone began glowing red and emitting dense smoke on flight ZL319 last week, according to Regional Express (REX).
The iPhone had to be extinguished by the cabin crew.
"In accordance with company standard safety procedures, the flight attendant carried out recovery actions immediately, and the red glow was extinguished successfully. All passengers and crew on-board were unharmed," REX said in a statement.
The incident has been referred to the Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for investigation, with the iPhone handed over as part of the inquiry process.
ZDNet Australia contacted Apple for comment this morning, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
While the cause of the apparent combustion is still unclear, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority recently issued a warning over lithium batteries in-flight. The safety authority limits the carriage of batteries to two, with a requirement for them to be placed in separate bags to protect the terminals and the battery from short circuiting.
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@Robert Hahn - If you take an iPhone with you in the Volt, the Volt will roll over without any warning, turn bright red, and then spontaneously combust; but, don't worry, the iPhone will be okay.
@Robert Hahn As an iPhone and Volt owner, I can assure you they work well together. 
The passenger had his phone in the wrong pocket.
Please call the genius(es) to know which pocket to put the phone in.
Please call the genius(es) to know which pocket to put the phone in.
That person who carry iPhone into Flight, Did Person click Setting to turn on Airplane Mode of the iPhone before person into the Flight? My Felt that Person probaly did not turn on Airplane Mode on the iPhone that cause burn it up?
@JMitchell2011 god help us .the iPhone burned. Airplane Mode or not it burned .Iwas looking at iPhone but that on hold for now.
@Brandstetter So, one iPhone 4 out of, what, fifty million? - burns up, and you are ready to throw Apple under the bus.
@JMitchell2011 The answer is 'no'. I took my 3Gs on a flight in normal (non-airplane) mode and neither the phone nor the plane were affected in any way whatsoever.
why so many negative news about Apple coming back and forth after the decease of Steve Jobs?
I can't see any reason for a phone of any sort to catch fire just because it was on an air plane. I think that there must be more to the story than we have here. I've flown with a cell phone in my pocket. We were requested to turn our phones OFF during the flight, which I did. I'm not certain it would have worked at 30,000 feet while inside a Faraday Shield if I had attempted to use it.
@draco vulgaris
Being on an airplane would not have caused it to catch fire. It caught fire, and it happened to be on an airplane when it did. Which makes for good news because the last place you want flaming objects is on airplanes.
Being on an airplane would not have caused it to catch fire. It caught fire, and it happened to be on an airplane when it did. Which makes for good news because the last place you want flaming objects is on airplanes.
@SlithyTove
I thought an aircraft at height and under pressure had a higher concertration of oxygen in the air, meaning combustion could be more likely?
I thought an aircraft at height and under pressure had a higher concertration of oxygen in the air, meaning combustion could be more likely?
@jk_welsh
as the higher you go, the less pressure and the less oxygen. The cabin is pressurized to that of sea level, so pressurizing the cabin is actually bringing back up to a "normal level".
What you're thinking of is something different, which would force everyone to make a 10 minute decompression stop at various alitutudes.
as the higher you go, the less pressure and the less oxygen. The cabin is pressurized to that of sea level, so pressurizing the cabin is actually bringing back up to a "normal level".
What you're thinking of is something different, which would force everyone to make a 10 minute decompression stop at various alitutudes.
@William Farrell
Airplanes are pressurized to 5000 feet (generally), not sea level, when at 30000 or so feet.
Airplanes are pressurized to 5000 feet (generally), not sea level, when at 30000 or so feet.
@ software_gods
still pressures at 5000 ft are less then that of sea level, so even a hair less oxygen, not more.
still pressures at 5000 ft are less then that of sea level, so even a hair less oxygen, not more.
@William Farrell 8000 ft, not sea level. Although I think they are going to start pressurizing to a lower altitude, perhaps the 5000 that another person mentioned, if I remember correctly what a commercial pilot friend of mine recently told me.
@draco vulgaris
If something spilled on the battery, such as rum, would it catch fire?
iPhone Flambe?
If something spilled on the battery, such as rum, would it catch fire?
iPhone Flambe?
Cellphones do work inside airplanes....
On the ground and sometimes in flight as well...
On the ground and sometimes in flight as well...
@singshah
Well...you certainly expressed your wealth of knowledge...*NOT*
Cellphones do indeed work from within airplanes...next time you're taxiing out to the runway look around you and see all those passengers who ignored the flight attendants instructions still talking on their cellphones...
And if you're going to say they don't work when the plane is in the air...well you're wrong there as well (batting 1000, I see). There is *NOTHING* to stop a cellphone from working perfectly fine onboard an aircraft...NOTHING!
Well...you certainly expressed your wealth of knowledge...*NOT*
Cellphones do indeed work from within airplanes...next time you're taxiing out to the runway look around you and see all those passengers who ignored the flight attendants instructions still talking on their cellphones...
And if you're going to say they don't work when the plane is in the air...well you're wrong there as well (batting 1000, I see). There is *NOTHING* to stop a cellphone from working perfectly fine onboard an aircraft...NOTHING!
@tech_ed@...
Well one thing that would definately stop a cell phone operating at height in an aircraft/hot air balloon or any other craft capable of operating at height would be a lack of cell phone signal.
Networks signal patterns are optimised towards the ground, since thats where most people tend to use them. Operators do NOT waste transmission power by firing cell phone signals into the air.
You may catch a signal up to say 1000 feet high if your lucky but much over that and all bets are off.
Now, airlines are talking about introducing cellular technology inside aircraft to allow your phone to make and receive calls, but that is something compeltely different.
Maybe you should check your statements before you berate others comments:-)
*FAIL*
Well one thing that would definately stop a cell phone operating at height in an aircraft/hot air balloon or any other craft capable of operating at height would be a lack of cell phone signal.
Networks signal patterns are optimised towards the ground, since thats where most people tend to use them. Operators do NOT waste transmission power by firing cell phone signals into the air.
You may catch a signal up to say 1000 feet high if your lucky but much over that and all bets are off.
Now, airlines are talking about introducing cellular technology inside aircraft to allow your phone to make and receive calls, but that is something compeltely different.
Maybe you should check your statements before you berate others comments:-)
*FAIL*
@tech_ed@...
reread his post. It says "Cellphones do work inside airplanes". You argued the same points he was making.
reread his post. It says "Cellphones do work inside airplanes". You argued the same points he was making.
Perhaps this is the much hyped answer to Amazons Kindle Fire. The iFire?
An isolated incident? Or was this a test of something bigger? There's new technology (3D integrated circuits) used by Apple to help reduce iPhone and iPad cost, but make it much easier to hide a Trojan Chip inside the main processor's packaging during the assembly. A techno-thriller, Dormant Curse, describes almost this exact type of incident on a plane, in detail. Hacked Social Network accounts being used to send command messages to the malicious chips. Even if you're in Airplane mode, Wifi is still available as a source to receive commands. In the novel, it is a simple command to short out the processor die stack, smoke the motherboard, and potentially and blow out the Lithium Ion batteries. Experts from the semiconductor industry have reviewed the book and its premise and have stated it's entirely plausible.
All small batteries have a cellophane membrane that is supposed to break when the battery overheats and create pressure. This is a self scram mechanism, but of course it does destroy the battery. Sometimes it doesn't work, or sometimes the Chinese slave laborer who makes it was being whipped when this battery passed him.
Interesting that on Star Trek, they had disposal chutes to eject small items out of the ship, such as a phaser on overload, or perhaps an Apple on iOverload?
Interesting that on Star Trek, they had disposal chutes to eject small items out of the ship, such as a phaser on overload, or perhaps an Apple on iOverload?
Per the referenced REX article, the plane had already landed and was on the ground in Sydney when the incident occurred. While it's possible the battery faulted due to re-pressurization during descent, it is most likely just the statistical failure rate expected of lithium batteries. There have been other iPhone fires, but I suspect this one will become the best documented.
I have noticed that my ear gets really hot after talking on the phone for a few minutes or using any of the apps. I started noticing these issue about a week ago. Maybe this is related to the iOS 5.0.1 release, but the device does seem to get hot quickly.
@SlithyTove
I respectfully submit that the LAST place you'd want flaming objects is while refueling - in the wabe.
I respectfully submit that the LAST place you'd want flaming objects is while refueling - in the wabe.
What would have happened if the iPhone was in the luggage in the cargo area of the airplane? I presume, it would have ignited a fire. Not good at all.
Sheeeeez why the hell would somebody's iPhone 4 burn??? I mean seriously?? What was he doing with the damn thing? Sitting on it too hard?? Seriously... what the...
Why?
In the Australian press, some people have suggested the iPhone was a substandard copy, others have suggested that the battery was replaced with a cheap, uncertified battery, while yet others have suggested that the phone was being used with unapproved HDMI/USB/SDRAM adaptors and so on.
Then again, maybe it's a one in ten million failure with a genuine iPhone.
Clearly we need more information.
In the Australian press, some people have suggested the iPhone was a substandard copy, others have suggested that the battery was replaced with a cheap, uncertified battery, while yet others have suggested that the phone was being used with unapproved HDMI/USB/SDRAM adaptors and so on.
Then again, maybe it's a one in ten million failure with a genuine iPhone.
Clearly we need more information.
Anybody else see the thing at defcon about hacking the iphone batteries that are made by Texas instruments because they failed to put a password on them? Including hacking them to cause them to over charge (and possibly catch fire). Makes me wonder if the flight had wifi.
Do I recall correctly that Apple products used to go up in flames before? Here we go again...
Just pull out the battery!!! Oh wait; Apple doesn't allow that.
@rmaytard
Eh? Are you saying that if your mobile phone (with a replaceable battery) started glowing red and emitting smoke then you'd pop the back and remove the hot, glowing battery from the phone? Where would you put the battery and what would you have achieved?
[Yeah, I know you were primarily trying to make a [sarcasm]clever and humorous point about Apple's policy regarding batteries[/sarcasm] but I'd really like to know how a removable battery would help.]
Eh? Are you saying that if your mobile phone (with a replaceable battery) started glowing red and emitting smoke then you'd pop the back and remove the hot, glowing battery from the phone? Where would you put the battery and what would you have achieved?
[Yeah, I know you were primarily trying to make a [sarcasm]clever and humorous point about Apple's policy regarding batteries[/sarcasm] but I'd really like to know how a removable battery would help.]
Must have been another hot, secret texting exchange between a married politician and his favorite escort!
The iPhone, the iPhone, the iPhone is on fire... We don't need no water, let the mother!!!!!! burn.... Burn mother!!!!!! Burn!
Cabins are pressurized to 10,000 feet, and decompression is for ascending, not descending - and after being pressurized to a minimum of 3 atm.
(Astronauts do not undergo decompression)
(Astronauts do not undergo decompression)
@SlithyTove no, they don't do anything with the ratios of air to oxygen in airplanes (unless the masks fall down - they produce pure oxygen). So since even with pressurized cabins, most aircraft have lower air pressure than you'd generally find on the ground, the partial pressure of oxygen is lower, making combustion LESS likely.
I'm wondering if the iPhone was plugged into a power source on the plane for charging. If a 12v dc power port was running at a much higher voltage (maybe 18 or 24 volts?) it might cause a problem for a phone. Or if it was an AC power outlet, if the frequency was way off - say in the thousands of hertz instead of 50 or 60 like these devices are expecting - I don't know if Apple tests their AC adapters for conditions like that. And even if Apple does, who says that the person was using an Apple brand charger? I have a half dozen brands of AC adapters that have USB charging port, and I've been known to charge my iPhone with non-Apple AC adapters if there's another nearby when I need a charge.
I guess I'd like to know if the phone was being charged at the time, and if so, how.
I'm wondering if the iPhone was plugged into a power source on the plane for charging. If a 12v dc power port was running at a much higher voltage (maybe 18 or 24 volts?) it might cause a problem for a phone. Or if it was an AC power outlet, if the frequency was way off - say in the thousands of hertz instead of 50 or 60 like these devices are expecting - I don't know if Apple tests their AC adapters for conditions like that. And even if Apple does, who says that the person was using an Apple brand charger? I have a half dozen brands of AC adapters that have USB charging port, and I've been known to charge my iPhone with non-Apple AC adapters if there's another nearby when I need a charge.
I guess I'd like to know if the phone was being charged at the time, and if so, how.
This isn't the first time that Apple had overheating issues, iPods had this happen too. It's not as though its a common thing to happen but one incident alone is worth doing some tests on it for safety sake. I think even the Apple fans would appreciate that.
I have been on several flights, and have never had a single problem with my Iphone. I have watched movies, played games, & taken pictures out the window. Today, I still have my IPhone.
Thank you for sharing!
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i know some great Apple iPhone and Bag, The website is http://www.esaledeal.com/Supply-apple-iphone-bag_c1706 , http://www.esaledeal.com/Supply-ipod-iphone_c1699
Not being funny lads or ladies but i only came upon this site because i was trying to check out why my ear was burning using my three week old apple iph4. I am useless pretty much in terms if IT etc. however since i got the ph my ear has been burning to the point i cant be on the ph plus when i get off ph both my ear and the ph are burning....yes i can hear the jokes re...who you talkin about etc but i am bringing ph back this week to provider plus it has transpired to me and perhaps its well known on this site not quite sure that my caller id bizarrely went to the off/hide whatever and it cannot be changed by my i have to physically go to shop to get it changed a supposed technical hitch i have been advised that apple are to rectify??? so i guess what im tryin to say i am not one bit surprised the ph decided to self combust i am becoming a serious skeptic and considering reverting to my old sony ericsson which proved quite adequate for me without hassle or pain just to make a call. On a further note to the moderators of this site can i add that lots of employment titles are included in your list to be ticked.....where is mother probably most important job of all and definitely most difficult and can i add thats why i got the iph4 to keep abreast of technology for my kids how mad is that.
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