Message: Battery Safety
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page D02
Friday, March 23, 2007; Page D02
Airline passengers were warned yesterday by U.S. transportation officials to be extra careful while transporting batteries for laptop computers, cellphones and other gadgets in the wake of fires aboard aircraft.
The transportation officials said they issued the safety advisory because of concerns about the potential for battery-related fires. The Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents 60,000 pilots at 40 airlines, also issued a safety alert to its members yesterday advising them how to combat battery fires.
 
Cellphone batteries are among those that concern transportation officials. (By Paul Sancya -- Associated Press)
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"This is a warning to remind passengers to take special care of their batteries," said Patricia Klinger, a spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which issued the advisory.
Among the agency's recommendations: Keep batteries in their original packaging or installed in their devices, keep loose batteries covered with insulating tape or put each one in its own protective case or plastic bag to prevent it from contacting metal.
The agency, which is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, also asked passengers to keep batteries in carry-on luggage, not checked bags, because fires are easier to fight in aircraft cabins.
Two recent fires prompted yesterday's warning. On Feb. 10, a small fire broke out in the overhead bin of a JetBlue Airlines flight. The crew was able to extinguish the fire, and the plane returned safely to a New York airport. The fire apparently was caused by one or more loose batteries in luggage, officials said.
On Sunday, a fire started after a battery overheated or ignited aboard an American Airlines flight leaving Argentina, officials said. The plane landed safely without injuries, though no further details were released by officials.
The issue of battery fires isn't new.
Federal regulators have tracked the problem for several years and are wrestling with how to ensure safety while not inconveniencing passengers who use electronics to watch movies, listen to music and work.
The National Transportation Safety Board last year examined the issue during a hearing prompted by a fire aboard a cargo jet.
Deborah A.P. Hersman, an NTSB board member, said that the safety alert "is a good first step."
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