A major accident was averted when passengers on IndiGo 6E-054 flight from Singapore to Chennai noticed smoke in an overhead cabin and the fire was extinguished by the crew before it spread out.
The source of the fire is said to a Samsung Note 2 device that was among the baggage in the overhead cabin. Nobody was injured and the plane landed without any issues at Chennai Airport. IndiGo confirmed the news and said all necessary procedures were followed and the situation had been brought under control.
In a statement, IndiGo said a few passengers travelling on 6E-054 flight from Singapore to Chennai smelt smoke emanating from a cabin this morning (September 23, 2016) and immediately alerted the cabin crew on board. The crew quickly identified a small amount of smoke coming from the hat-rack of seat 23 C and immediately informed the Pilot-in-Command who further alerted the ATC of the situation on board. Taking precautionary measures, the cabin crew on priority relocated all passengers to other seats. They traced the smoke as being emitted from a Samsung Note 2 which was inside a passenger's bag kept in the overhead bin.
"The crew discharged the fire extinguisher as per Standard Operating Procedures prescribed by the aircraft manufacturer, and quickly transferred the Samsung note 2 into a container filled with water in the lavatory." said a statement issued by IndiGo.
The aircraft proceeded to make a normal landing at Chennai airport, and all passengers were deplaned according to normal procedure. IndiGo said it has voluntarily informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Incidentally, this incident comes to light at a time when the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been in the news for catching fire and exploding, which prompted Samsung to issue a recall of nearly 2.5 million Note 7 devices worldwide.
Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had issued a public notice prohibiting the use of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphone onboard aircraft. "The Ministry has advised airlines and travelling public not to turn on or charge the said mobile during flights," a statement by the ministry said.
This was after, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a warning not to charge or switch on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onboard aircrafts.
Meanwhile, DGCA has advised flyers to be cautious while flying with Samsung Note devices and has asked passengers to either keep these devices switched off or not travel with them.
With another model of Samsung device exploding, more questions are likely to be raised regarding all of Samsung's devices.