Following a series of disquieting tests, the FAA today issued a safety alert warning airlines that transporting these batteries as cargo carries the “risk of a catastrophic hull loss”.
Advertisement
“Transportation authorities around the world look to the Unites States as the leader in aviation safety”.
The FAA said, “FAA battery fire testing has highlighted the potential risk of a catastrophic aircraft loss due to damage resulting from a lithium battery fire or explosion”.
Nelson’s office said his measure “would repeal a ban Congress enacted in 2012 prohibiting the FAA from imposing restrictions on transporting lithium-ion batteries that exceed those recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)”.
Several companies have already decided not to carry such cargo, do you remember the source said, noting that such a fire can cause the destruction of the aircraft.
“The legislation also creates a task force comprised of the Department of Transportation, Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to promote research and new standards for the safe manufacture, use, or transportation of lithium-based batteries”, the Florida senator’s office said.
The Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing 52,000 pilots, urged lawmakers to give FAA the power to regulate batteries so that they don’t pose a risk to aircraft. “It’s important that the US not delegate its responsibility as a sovereign nation to an global body”. Lithium ion batteries, which power our phones, laptops and cameras, can explode if they are handled in the wrong way, potentially causing damage to a plane in flight. The U.S. Department of Transportation provides guidance to travelers on their “Traveling with Lithium Batteries” web page. Another ICAO advisory panel on January 28 took the opposite position, saying shipments should stop until new packaging is developed.
The agency said the risk assessment recommendation is for airlines which still carry lithium ion batteries, and to help others avoid inadvertently carrying them.
Spare batteries for those items must be packed in carry-on luggage and all items must be protected from accidental activation. The ICAO Council will consider the recommendation, along with other recommendations to require more thorough documentation, later this month.
The FAA’s advisory Tuesday doesn’t apply to batteries contained devices carried by passengers and crew members.
Advertisement
While passenger airline safety has been at the forefront of the discussion, those who work on cargo planes are concerned as well.
