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A Southwest Airlines flight 994 departing from Louisville for Baltimore was evacuated this morning after a customer reported smoke emitting from a Galaxy Note 7 cleared for sale by Samsung following a recent recall. Passengers aboard the flight have been re-booked on alternate Southwest flights.
According to a report inThe Courier-Journal, the Galaxy Note 7 that grounded the flight was purchased by owner Brian Green “about two weeks ago” at an AT&T store. A review of the device's International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI number by The Verge confirmed that the device had been deemed safe and unaffected by Samsung&039;s official Galaxy Note 7 recall effort. That recall was prompted by multiple reports of overheating and explosion from the phone&039;s lithium ion battery.
In a September 2 press conference, Samsung leadership blamed the Galaxy Note 7&039;s battery issue on a “battery cell problem” caused by errors in “the manufacturing process.”
According to WHAS 11 reporter Rachel Platt, one passenger had finished boarding flight 994 when he saw a male passenger take a smoking Samsung smartphone out of his pocket and throw it on the ground at around 9:15 a.m. local time. Another claimed that the phone burned a hole through the carpet.
The flight was evacuated before it had the chance to take off.
The owner of the smoking device, Brian Green, is reportedly getting a new phone and set of clothes after the incident.
Green told The Verge that the phone was powered down and at 80% capacity when it began emitting a “thick grey-green angry smoke.” He also claimed that he replaced the device with the iPhone 7 and that the Louisville Fire Department is in possession of the Samsung phone.
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Roughly one million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones have been formally recalled by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Any phone sold before September 15, 2016 is eligible for a replacement and customers can find out more information at Samsung.com.
Southwest is encouraging all of its customers to adhere to the FAA&039;s Pack Safe guidelines which recommend that, “Lithium batteries recalled by the manufacturer/vendor must not be carried aboard aircraft or packed in baggage.”
Samsung has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Quelle: <a href="Evacuation Of Southwest Flight Caused By Smoking Samsung Phone“>BuzzFeed
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