FAA Tests Say "Yes" to Lithium Batteries

Dick Hill, the Federal Aviation Administration's program manager for aircraft fire and cabin safety research, has been testing Li-ion batteries to see how likely they are to catch on fire, and how hard they are to extinguish. Hill works at the William J. Hughes FAA Center at the Atlantic City Airport. "They're no more hazardous than any other battery-powered piece of equipment," Hill said, adding that while such batteries can catch on fire, "If you're carrying it into the passenger cabin, the flight attendants should be capable of using an extinguisher and controlling it easily." The difference between lithium-ion batteries and the lithium batteries that are banned from being carried as cargo on passenger aircraft is that standard on-board fire suppression systems can handle Li-ion batteries but cannot put out a burning lithium battery. Lithium batteries are usually small, and are used in hearing aids, cameras and the like. Individually, those items are allowed on airplanes. The Li-ion batteries that are used in cell phones, iPods and laptops are safer, Hill said.