Updated

Updated · WSB Atlanta · Aug 23

American Airlines Flight 2398 Makes Emergency Landing After Laptop Fire Burns 4 to 5 Passengers

Updated

Updated · WSB Atlanta · Aug 23

American Airlines Flight 2398 Makes Emergency Landing After Laptop Fire Burns 4 to 5 Passengers

Q: Which everyday laptop model suddenly erupted into flames mid-flight, and could the exact same device be sitting in your carry-on right now?

The exact laptop model has not been publicly identified, so there is no verified evidence that it was a specific brand or model passengers commonly carry. What is confirmed is that a passenger’s laptop on American Airlines Flight 2398 began smoking and then caught fire shortly before landing. Flight attendants contained it with a thermal containment bag, the aircraft landed safely, and the FAA is investigating. Reports from passengers and officials point to a lithium-ion battery failure or device malfunction, not to any announced manufacturer-specific defect. So yes, a similar type of everyday device could be in someone’s carry-on right now in the broad sense that millions of passengers travel with lithium-battery laptops every day. But there is no basis from this incident to single out one particular laptop model as a known danger. The practical takeaway is about battery safety, not branding. Aviation guidance says lithium batteries can enter thermal runaway without warning if damaged, overheated, overcharged, exposed to water, or improperly packed. Passengers should keep such devices in carry-on baggage, avoid using damaged or recalled electronics, and alert cabin crew immediately if a device becomes hot, swells, smokes, or sparks.

3 articles · Updated · WSB Atlanta · Aug 23

Four to five passengers were potentially burned when a laptop caught fire aboard American Airlines Flight 2398, forcing the jet to land in Atlanta en route to Dallas Fort Worth.
FAA officials said flight attendants contained the blaze in a thermal containment bag after flames and smoke erupted near the end of the flight, with passengers also helping put it out.
Passenger Jessica Irgens told ABC and Good Morning America the incident unfolded "really fast" and was "absolutely terrifying," adding that some injured travelers were left with their hands in ice bags.
American Airlines said one person was treated at the scene and released, a narrower injury count than the burns discussed in air traffic control audio and by passengers.