This iPhone 4 Ignited Into Flame On An Australian Flight, But Everyone’s Okay

By

iPhone-4-self-combust

While Apple’s iPhone is famous for packing a long list of fancy features, self combustion definitely should not be one of them. For one iPhone 4 user who recently took their device onboard an Australian airplane, however, that’s exactly what they got.

One iPhone user onboard the Australian flight Regional Express ZL319 between Lismore and Sydney alarmed a number of fellow passengers when their device began emitting smoke and glowing red hot.

Fortunately, the plane had just landed, and a flight attendant as able to carry out “recovery actions” to ensure the “red glow was extinguished successfully” and that no one was harmed by the handset, according to a press release from the airline, entitled “Mobile Phone Combustion.”

A picture of the handset above clearly shows a number of large cracks in the rear casing of the device where the smoke has poured through, and a large hole from whence the “red glow” was emitted. It’s unclear whether some of those cracks were there beforehand or whether the combustion itself caused them. But based on the location of the hole, it would appear the iPhone’s battery is at fault here.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard stories of self combusting iOS devices, but they’re usually related in some way to the device’s charger when it’s hooked up to a power outlet. As far as I recall, this is the first time an iPhone has self combusted in the hands of its user.

[via The Next Web]

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.