No longer a smashing iPhone!
Taking any electronic device on an airplane contains a certain amount of risk. That was definitely the case for the unnamed passenger on a recent flight from Lismore to Sydney, Australia on a passenger jet operated by Regional Express. In a press release issued on Friday, the airline said that an iPhone owned by an unnamed passenger "started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow."
Thankfully this incident happened after the aircraft landed at its destination. The airline said that the flight attendant on board "carried out recovery actions immediately and the red glow was extinguished successfully." No one on the flight was harmed. The iPhone (it"s not clear which specific model was involved) was given over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis.
This new incident seems similar in some ways to what happened a couple of years ago when it was reported that an iPod Touch burned through a child"s pants and reportedly hurt his leg. The mother sued Apple as a result, but there"s no word as to the current status of that lawsuit. In any case, there"s no indication that this latest event is anymore than an isolated incident and not a widespread issue with the iPhone"s battery.
Image via Regional Airlines