Just in case the concept of hurtling through the sky in an aluminium tube wasn’t enough to give you pause, a woman has suffered burns after her battery-powered headphones exploded, on her head, while taking a flight from Beijing to Melbourne.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the passenger was asleep with the headphones on, only to be awakened by the sound of an explosion.
After feeling a burning sensation on her face, the passenger said she instinctively “grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.
“I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.”
via ATSB.
Fortunately, flight attendants responded immediately, and doused the flames with a bucket of water. Still, the burning headphones reached a temperature hot enough to melt the battery and its cover right onto the goddamn floor.
The incident occurred about two hours into the flight – and friends, that’s a long flight – meaning passengers “were coughing and choking the entire way home.”
The full extent of the passenger’s injuries is not known, but photos also show some burns on her hand.
via ATSB.
In response to the incident, the ATSB has issued a warning to passengers bringing battery-powered devices onto flights.
According to them, you should pack your devices away when they’re not being used; keep your spare batteries in hand-held luggage and not in your checked bags; and you shouldn’t fiddle with your seat if you’ve misplaced a battery-powered gadget, on the off chance you break it in some way.
They essentially could have just repackaged the Samsung Note 7 warnings or said “just pack some books, damn”, but we appreciate the extra effort.
Fairfax has asked about the exact make and model of the headphones in question.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
