Khaberni - A United Airlines plane carrying more than 200 people and heading from Northern Virginia to Rome turned back near the American coast after one of the passengers dropped his laptop and couldn't recover it, according to the Washington Post.
The airline announced in a statement that the laptop “fell behind the cabin wall and through a small gap leading to the cargo hold,” prompting the pilots to divert the flight to Washington Dulles International Airport as a precautionary measure.
In a conversation with air traffic controllers in Boston, one of the pilots of flight 126 described the incident as a "minor problem" related to the laptop, which was operational when it fell into the cargo area. The aircraft was southeast of Boston when it turned back.
The pilot said in a recording: “We don’t know its condition, we cannot reach it, we cannot see it. So, we decided to return to Dallas and find this laptop before we can continue the flight over the ocean.”
The pilot confirmed that he did not declare an emergency and did not need special services at the airport. He added that he made this decision “out of extreme caution” because the lithium battery would be in an area of the Boeing 767 that is far from the fire suppression system.
The air traffic controller explained: “I have never heard anything like this before. A great story to tell in the pilots' lounge.”
United reported that maintenance crews found the laptop, and that the flight departed for Rome after being inspected. The flight tracking website FlightAware shows that the aircraft, carrying 216 passengers, took off at 10:22 PM on October 15, returned to Dallas shortly after more than two hours, then took off again just before 3:30 AM, and landed in Rome about 4 and a half hours later than scheduled.
This incident was the latest example of an airline proactively addressing the risk of lithium battery overheating.
Southwest Airlines prohibits passengers from charging their devices using a power bank inside a carry-on bag. Many airlines in Asia do not allow passengers to use mobile chargers on board. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, passengers are not allowed to put spare lithium batteries in checked luggage and must keep them in the cabin.
Despite the air traffic controller’s remarks, there have been previous instances where airlines had to divert their flights due to personal electronic devices. Earlier this year, two flights operated by Air France heading to the Caribbean region turned back due to passengers losing their mobile phones. The airline wanted to avoid any safety risks in case the device overheated.
