Faulty personal power bank may have started Air Busan blaze
January 30, 2025
With accident investigation teams continuing to probe the cause of a fire that destroyed an A321-200 and risked the lives of 176 individuals, the aircraft’s flight recorders have been retrieved as speculation rises that a passenger’s electronic device may have started the inferno.
On the evening of 28 January, Air Busan Flight BX391 was preparing to depart Korea’s Gimhae Airport for Hong Kong when a fire broke out on the runway. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were safely evacuated via the aircraft’s emergency slides, although South Korea’s Transport Ministry subsequently confirmed seven people suffered minor injuries.
Authorities from the national Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, the Busan Fire Headquarters and the National Forensic Service have been on-site to examine the wreckage. However, as reported by The Korea Herald, a passenger suggested that a “crackling sound” could be heard emanating from an overhead luggage compartment, with an Air Busan official quoted in local media reports as stating that the fire “appears to have been caused by a passenger’s portable power bank, compressed inside the overhead bin”.
Four investigators from France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety also arrived on site today, the French government agency confirmed, with the authorities preparing to launch a detailed investigation into the incident. However, this is complicated by the safety risk posed by the some 15,000 kg of fuel still in the aircraft’s wings. On Thursday, an official explained that “if the plane catches fire again over the course of a probe, it could explode,” adding: “we would decide whether to defuel the plane… but it seems challenging because the fuselage was damaged”.
Although airlines’ specific criteria regarding transportation of lithium-ion batteries varies, Air Busan only allows “spare or loose lithium batteries for personal use” (for instance, in a portable power bank) within carry-on luggage. Products exceeding 100wh but limited to 160wh are limited to two per passenger, with no higher capacity products allowed either in cabin or checked luggage.
