Safety

Battery Safety Incidents: FAA and New Directives NUMBER OF LITHIUM BATTERY RELATED INCIDENTS IN THE US

LITHIUM BATTERY AIR INCIDENTS BY CATEGORY SINCE 2006

Graphs: last updated Dec 15. Source: FAA Incident Website FAA issued a new Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 25002) on August 25, 2025 that reinforces guidance relating to the potential hazards for lithium batteries carried by passenger and crew members. This comes amid a rise in 2025 of high-profile onboard battery-related incidents. Incidents include: August 8 incident heading to Dallas where cell phone overheated and began emitting smoke and April 4 incident where a battery pack inside a backpack overheated and caught fire resulting in injury and diverting of the plane. Full list can be seen on the FAA Incident Website. SAFO 25002 gives many recommendations such as: 1. Recommendation of the use of large amounts of water to cool the battery and suppress flames as the primary response to a thermal runaway event. 2. Review of lithium battery fire fighting processes, procedures, and training including training practices for crewmembers to recognize different lithium battery thermal runaway stages. 3. Review of passenger safety messaging to advise passengers of lithium batteries risk

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