Pilot reports possible burn injuries after passenger’s laptop catches fire on American Airlines flight

A passenger’s laptop caught fire on an American Airlines flight Friday, with the pilot reporting that four to five passengers may have been burned, according to air traffic control audio.

One passenger was treated and released after American Airlines Flight 2398 landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the airport said in a statement.

“Cabin fire in the back of the airplane,” the pilot said in air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News. “The flight attendants are trying to put it out now.”

The flight, which originated in Atlanta, had 133 people on board, the pilot told air traffic controllers.

“I think we have about four to five passengers that were burned by the laptop,” the pilot said. “The laptop is contained about mid-aircraft.”  

“American Airlines flight 2398 landed safely at DFW after reports of smoke from a customer’s device during landing,” American Airlines said in a statement. “We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device.”  

CBS News has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.   

The lithium batteries used in devices such as laptops and cell phones can pose risks on flights due to overheating, according to the FAA, because of a process known as “thermal runway.”

“Thermal runaway can occur without warning as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly packed,” the FAA says in an advisory.

The FAA has size limits for lithium batteries on flights because of those risks.

So far this year, there have been at least 56 lithium battery incidents reported on flights that involved smoke, fire or overheating, per FAA data. 

In February, an Alaska Airlines flight bound for Wichita, Kansas, was forced to return to Seattle, Washington, after a passenger’s power bank device overheated and caught fire.