W62151 - Report: Wizz A320 near Flesland on Jun 11th 2022

A Wizz Air Airbus A320-200, registration HA-LWZ performing flight W6-2151 from Szczecin (Poland) to Bergen (Norway), was reaching the top of descent into Bergen airport when cabin crew were alerted by passengers about a fire in the forward section of the cabin. A passenger's mobile phone's battery had suffered overheating, emitted smoke, the phone caught fire. The owner of the phone suffered minor burns while trying to remove the battery. Cabin crew extinguished the fire and secured the phone, while the flight crew declared emergency and landed the aircraft in Bergen. The injured passenger declined treatment. The aircraft's carpet was damaged, the phone was destroyed.

On Sep 3rd 2024 Norway's NSIA released their final report releasing following safety assessment:

A thermal runaway (TR) and a subsequent fire in a lithium-ion battery (LIB) develops differently than other types of fires, and can be challenging to handle. A TR represents a significant health risk and damage potential, and can start a long time after an external or internal battery cell damage.
Flammable, toxic and acidic gases will develop rapidly, and the temperature will increase quickly. Due to the release of oxygen, the fire will become completely or partly self-sustaining and virtually impossible to stop if early measures are not taken.

It can be possible to achieve sufficient cooling and suffocation to stop a TR and an electrolyte fire in a LIB cell. That requires the crew to have relevant equipment readily accessible, being trained in adequate procedures, and able to act quickly. The equipment must protect against hazardous gases and high temperatures, and allow the crew to isolate and secure a damaged LIB. A TR and possible fire can restart at any time in a damaged LIB.

The cell phone battery on board HA-LWZ had a TR and released gases, and it is plausible that there was an electrolyte fire. It is unlikely, however, that metals or other solids ignited.

The crew members on board Wizz Air flight W6-2151 handled the situation quickly and in a very good way. They had relevant equipment available, and followed the necessary procedures to cool down the cell phone battery, and to keep it under control until the aircraft had landed.

Protective gloves are important in order to handle hot or burning batteries. Thus, the NSIA recommends that all operators involved in passenger transport equip both the cabin and the cockpit with easily accessible fire protective gloves to enable crew members to handle a battery with TR without delay, in addition to relevant TR and LIB fire equipment kits. It is also important that crew regularly perform TR handling procedure training.

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority does not propose any safety recommendations.

Related Flight: W62151, Wizz Air News