A Virgin Atlantic flight out of New York City was forced to make an emergency landing in Boston after a cabin fire.
According to preliminary reports, a phone charger ignited between some passenger seat cushions, the Massachusetts State Police said in a statement Thursday night. The flight crew managed to extinguish the fire.
The London-bound plane was rerouted to Boston’s Logan Airport, where all 217 passengers and crew were safely evacuated, police said. One passenger refused emergency medical services for a complaint related to smoke.
Earlier in the day, Boston reported another emergency landing after an American Airlines pilot detected a cockpit light warning of a possible mechanical issue.
According to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, spare lithium batteries, the type typically found in external battery packs, are prohibited in checked baggage. Several airlines have also placed restrictions on “smart bags” that include built-in smartphone battery chargers, because they could pose a risk of exploding and catching fire during flight. But such restrictions generally don’t apply to carry-on bags, so long as the batteries are powered down, under the rationale that a cabin fire is more easily extinguished than one in the cargo hold.
The investigation of the Virgin Atlantic flight is ongoing, law enforcement officials said. Police who inspected the seat said they found wires protruding from the area of the fire.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.