A routine flight from Los Angeles to Boston ran into a stressful and potentially dangerous situation on August 20, 2024, when a faulty cell phone caused smoke to fill the aircraft’s cabin. The incident occurred on board a JetBlue Airbus A321, and despite the stressful circumstances, the crew managed to quickly bring the situation under control and ensure a safe landing.
Flight B6 988, a so-called night flight that departed from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 10:25 p.m. and was scheduled to land at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) at 7:01 a.m., was largely uneventful until shortly before landing. But as the plane approached, first-class passengers suddenly noticed smoke coming from a cell phone. As Laura Benson, a passenger on board, later reported to CBS News, there was a strong smell of burning plastic and smoke began to fill the cabin.
Such scenarios are particularly dangerous because they can quickly lead to panic in the confined and pressurized environment of an aircraft. In fact, smoke development in aircraft has led to emergency landings and evacuations on several occasions in the past. In the case of flight B6 988, however, the cabin crew reacted quickly and professionally, which probably prevented anything worse from happening.
The crew’s quick and decisive intervention
When the smoke appeared, JetBlue flight attendants reacted quickly. They immediately began evacuating passengers from the affected area and moving them to other available seats to ensure the safety of everyone on board. One of the flight attendants fetched a fire extinguisher while others turned on the ventilation to clear the smoke from the cabin. According to Benson, passengers’ eyes were already starting to water due to the smoke, which underscored the urgency of the situation.
The crew finally decided to put the broken phone in one of the toilets and close the door to prevent the smoke from spreading further. After a few tense minutes, the situation seemed to be under control and the passengers showed their relief and gratitude by applauding the flight attendants.
Background and risks of lithium-ion batteries
The incident with the defective cell phone is by no means an isolated case in aviation history. Lithium-ion batteries, such as those used in most mobile devices, are known for their potential fire hazard. If these batteries are damaged, they can overheat and catch fire. Such incidents have led to emergency landings and evacuations in the past.
A prominent example occurred in 2020, when a British Airways flight from London to Tampa, Florida, had to be diverted to Bermuda because a cell phone was jammed in a business class seat and the battery caught fire. Similar incidents have occurred with other airlines, such as a Southwest Airlines flight that had to be diverted to Palm Beach in early August 2024 because of a smoking cell phone.
These incidents highlight the potential danger posed by damaged lithium-ion batteries, especially in the tight, pressurized environment of an aircraft. For this reason, airlines and safety authorities repeatedly warn against storing mobile devices between seats or in other hard-to-reach areas of an aircraft.
After the JetBlue flight landed safely in Boston, the airline announced that it would work closely with the relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident. These investigations may lead to new safety policies being implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future. Additional regulations may be put in place regarding the handling of mobile devices on board, particularly with a view to avoiding situations in which devices could become trapped in tight spaces.
