4 ms·
The temperature those batteries (and those used in newer RC planes - LiPo) burn is ridiculous. You buy some electronic/hobby equipment while traveling, put in
by eduardordm 14y ago
The temperature those batteries (and those used in newer RC planes - LiPo) burn is ridiculous.
You buy some electronic/hobby equipment while traveling, put in your luggage among your clothes. In mid-flight those things get shorted and everybody is doomed.
Those batteries can ignite when shorted due to shock or tearing - which is pretty much what happens to some luggage on every flight.
- tedunangst 14y agoAnd then when the TSA bans batteries in checked luggage everybody says, zomg, my constitutional rights are being trampled.
- jlgreco 14y agoOh I don't know, such a ban might be uncharacteristically rational for the TSA. ...actually, how many plane crashes have Li-ion battery failures in luggage caused? No it wouldn't be, a ban like that would be par for the course.
- United857 14y agoAt least one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_6#FAA_Reaction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_6#FAA_React...
- rayiner 14y agoRisk management for rare events does not mean only taking precautions against things that have already caused problems.
- jlgreco 14y agoI don't think I have suggested otherwise.
- tedunangst 14y agoI interpreted your comment as suggesting such a ban is irrational because not enough planes have crashed.
- jlgreco 14y agoThe ban would be irrational because there is no reason to think that batteries will suddenly start causing unacceptable rates of plane failure in the near future. Presumably such a blanket ban would come in the wake of a single high profile incident, so in fact I am saying quite the opposite of "we should only take precautions against things that have already caused problems." Taking precautions against things that happened, instead of things which are likely to happen in the future is irrational. Box cutters took down a few planes, so we banned them. This is an irrational ban, because box cutters now have an infinitesimally small chance of taking down planes. Whether box-cutters took down 4 planes or 100 planes in the past really doesn't matter since it does not indicate future performance.
- cpleppert 14y agoThe luggage compartment is much hotter than the flight deck, especially on a freighter. If your luggage is parked in the hold during summer when the air conditioning units are off that is a major concern. There is concern that DHL flight 6 could have crashed for that reason.
- jlgreco 14y agoWhat we know is that, for whatever the reason, the rate of catastrophic failure has been quite low in the past. When new information becomes available we are able to update our risk assessment, it isn't necessary for us to wait for more plane crashes. I don't see any new information here though, the risks posed by Li-ion batteries and fires on airplanes have been well understood for quite some time.
- fnordfnordfnord 14y agoOf all the things they've banned. Laptop batteries make more sense than any other.
- aidenn0 14y agoLithium and LiIon batteries not in a device are already banned from checked luggage. [edit] Originally I said lithium primary cells only, but I was wrong.
- Someone 14y agoI don't understand that logic. If we have "In mid-flight those things get shorted and everybody is doomed." and "Those batteries can ignite when shorted due to shock or tearing - which is pretty much what happens to some luggage on every flight.", I would expect pretty much every passenger flight to be doomed. So, at least one of those claims must be an exaggeration.
- gus_massa 14y agoSee xkcd "Bag Check": http://xkcd.com/651/ http://xkcd.com/651/