On the flight Air France AF914 in an Airbus A330 which is en route on Monday 21 August from Paris CDG in Accrathe capital of Ghana, a cell phone battery of a business class passenger kisses, creating the beginning of panic.
But the crew kept their cool and quickly brought the incident under control, as a passenger told Figaro : “ The flight attendants reacted with disconcerting speed. In a sort of suspended time, the purser retrieves what could have the effect of a bomb and, assisted by his colleagues, who have all worn smoke hoods impressive silver bars, managed to control the start of the fire. In a deafening silence, an atmosphere of chilling fear, their professionalism and the control they seem to have of the situation gives hope for a less fatal outcome than the one we have all just seen. “.
” In a few minutes the two or three extinguishers are emptied on the smoking battery on the ground and the hostesses come and go with champagne buckets filled with water.” Behind the curtain, passengers in Economy class do not realize anything. For the passenger who testifies to the Figaroa disaster was averted thanks to “an exceptional crew“.
Electronic devices and batteries are indeed a potential hazard. In the past, certain models of mobile phones and tablets known for their tendency to catch fire have been banned from airplanes around the world. On Air France flights, the transport of external lithium batteries (and also e-cigarettes) is prohibited in the hold, but authorized in the cabin up to 160Wh. The airline recommends packing the batteries individually to avoid short circuits, and if possible, transporting electronic equipment with the batteries installed.
