A passenger was slightly injured after a laptop battery caught fire onboard the American Airlines flight 2398, an Airbus A321 flying from Atlanta to Dallas with 133 people onboard.
It all began when a traveler's laptop started to emit a lot of smoke and then caught fire, causing panic among the passengers.
The fire started about 30 minutes before landing, according to passenger Jessica Irgens who spoke to local press.
Irgens, sitting two rows behind the focal point of the fire, described the moment: “I saw the smoke first and then everything happened very quickly. He was trying to push it away from himself into the aisle.”
"It was absolutely terrifying," added the witness.
The crew contained the fire with a thermal containment bag while the pilot informed the controllers: "Fire in the cabin, at the rear of the plane. The flight attendants are trying to extinguish it now."
In a second communication, he added: "I believe we have between four and five passengers burned by the laptop. The laptop is located approximately in the central area of the plane."
Safe landing and medical attention
The Airbus A321 landed without incident at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) at 6:55 PM (local time) and taxied to the gate under its own power, where emergency personnel waited as per protocol.
Despite the pilot's report of possible burns, the airline officially confirmed that only one passenger received medical attention on site and was discharged.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told the BBC: "Flight 2398 landed safely in DFW after reports of smoke coming from a customer's device. We thank our crew for their professionalism and rapid response to contain the device."
Irgens described the condition of some passengers: “There were two people with their hands in ice bags, and they were trembling. They were visibly shaken.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened an investigation into the incident.
A growing problem in aviation
The phenomenon behind these incidents is known as thermal runaway: a process in which the battery experiences an uncontrolled increase in temperature that releases flammable gases.
The FAA warns that it "can occur without prior notice" due to damage, overheating, exposure to water, overloading, or inadequate packaging.
The FAA had recorded at least 58 incidents related to lithium batteries in 2026 up to the date of their data update, which involved smoke, fire, or extreme heat; in 2025, 93 incidents were recorded.
Since 2006, laptops have been involved in 84 incidents reported by the FAA.
Just weeks earlier, a Swiss International Air Lines flight from Zurich to New York had to divert to Bangor, Maine, after a headphone charger case became trapped in a business class seat, overheated, and started to smoke. The flight carried 208 people, and there were no injuries.
American Airlines has faced similar incidents in the past. In mid-2024, three people sustained minor injuries during a flight from San Francisco to Miami when a laptop caught fire.
What does the FAA say about the transportation of batteries?
FAA regulations stipulate that spare lithium batteries must be carried only in carry-on luggage, never in the cargo hold.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are limited to 100 Wh per unit without prior approval.
Batteries between 101 and 160 Wh require airline approval, while those exceeding 160 Wh are prohibited on passenger planes.
The FAA's investigation into the incident involving flight 2398 remains open, and its findings could lead to new recommendations for the transportation of electronic devices on commercial aircraft.
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