Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones were recently recalled due to overheating batteries, and now one of the phones has exploded aboard an aircraft. USA Today reports that the explosion occurred aboard a Southwest Airlines plane that was boarding in Louisville, Kentucky. The phone that exploded was reportedly a replacement for the recalled phones.
Nobody was injured as a result of the explosion, according to USA Today, but the exploding phone produced enough smoke to force an evacuation of the plane. The flight, which was headed to Baltimore, was canceled.
The wife of the man whose phone exploded, Sarah Green, told the Courier-Journal in Louisville that her husband, Brian, turned off his phone, then the phone started heating up. "He said he had just powered it down when it made a popping noise and started smoking," Green said. "He took it out of his pocket and threw it on the ground." Green further said this phone was a replacement her husband received after Galaxy Note 7s were recalled last month.
USA Today further reported that Samsung provided a statement saying the company is "working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause." The Verge reports that the exploded phone is currently in the possession of the Louisville Fire Department’s arson unit, and that Green has already replaced his Galaxy Note with an iPhone 7.
The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement about the defective Galaxy Note 7 on Sept. 8, warning passengers they could cause dangers on flights. "In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage," said the statement.
