China Eastern flight makes urgent landing due to smoking portable charger
Make sure to take care of your portable charger in the airplane as it may be a source of danger when it slipped into some unexpected places.
China Eastern Airlines' flight MU5958, flying from Lhasa to Shanghai, made an urgent landing at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Monday as one of its passenger's portable charger was emitting smoke, according to a report by the Xinmin Evening News.
A short video referring to the incident shows the portable charger dropped into a gap of a first-class seat, being squeezed and emitting smoke.
Crew members try to take out the charger and the efforts almost dismantle the first-class seat.
A passenger on the flight recalled: "After I smelled the smoke, I shouted 'Find out what's on fire'!" A crew member told the passenger that the problem was being dealt with, and the smoke was coming from a portable charger of a first-class passenger, according to the report.
A staff member with China Eastern confirmed that during the flight, a passenger's power bank was emitting smokes, and the crew immediately eliminated safety risks by following formal protocol.
After five hours in Wuhan, passengers were relocated to other flights and left Wuhan.
Proper way to fly with a portable charger
According to the regulations on portable chargers on civil flights, released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the mobile power supply can only be carried in hand luggage or taken along, and it is strictly prohibited to be carried in checked luggage.
Any over-160 watt-hour portable chargers, or ones which are poorly marked, are prohibited from being carried either in hand baggage or in checked luggage.
Passengers carrying portable chargers with a rated energy exceeding 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh must be approved by the airline.
Passenger can carry up to two portable chargers with a rated energy of no more than 100Wh.
