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Flight Grounded Due to Laptop Incident
In an unusual turn of events, a computer is to blame for a flight’s grounding – and it wasn’t one controlled by the tower.
Laptop Trapped in Seat Causes Flight Diversion
A United Airlines transatlantic flight had to make an unexpected detour to Ireland on a recent Sunday when a passenger’s laptop got wedged into their seat, resulting in safety concerns.
The unusual incident apparently happened on United Flight 12, which was heading from Zurich, Switzerland to Chicago, Illinois, according to View From The Wing.
All was going well until a business class passenger’s laptop got wedged into a seat. Despite the flight crew’s attempts, they could not extract it.
The Risks of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Losing the use of their computer was not the main issue that concerned the crew. The problem was the potential threat posed by the device’s lithium-ion batteries.
Fears of a potential catastrophe should the computer’s battery ignite whilst it was trapped and the plane was mid-Atlantic flight were raised. The concerns were echoed by the pilot who decided to divert the Boeing 767 to Shannon, Ireland, ensuring the safety of everyone onboard.
Emergency Landing in Ireland
The pilot turned the plane around when it was approximately 500 miles into the ocean, making a safe landing in Shannon, Ireland nearly four hours after the flight took off.
“United flight 12 scheduled from Zurich to Chicago made a successful landing in Shannon to resolve a potential safety risk caused by an embedded laptop,” the airline noted in a released statement.
Resolution and Ramifications of Laptop Incident
Once the plane had safely landed, flight engineers stepped in and were able to retrieve the computer.
However, by the time the laptop was removed, the flight crew had reached their maximum legal operating hours. With the crew unable to continue the journey to Chicago that day, the unfortunate interruption of the 157 passengers’ journey led to bookings at local hotels for a sudden layover. United Airlines stated they worked quickly to get their customers to their final destination.
The flight was reportedly scheduled to resume its flight from Shannon to Chicago more than 24 hours after first landing in the Irish city.
Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Concerns
Although this abrupt flight diversion might seem extreme, the flammability of lithium-ion batteries has been a cause for concern on many occasions. In July, a similar situation arose when a United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in California after an external battery pack caught fire mid-flight.
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