US pilots union wants ban on lithium batteries

[tonytieger]

http://news.ino.com/headlines/?newsid=68965658756680

The above article is interesting, especially this part:

"A burned package containing a lithium-ion "bicycle-power device" was discovered in the cargo of a UPS flight from Ontario, Calif., to Honolulu on June 18, the union said."

Would be terrible if all lithium shipments were banned. Be sure to ship properly and well packaged. Tape/cover up terminals, etc.

- Tony

 

[dragonfire]

the storage capacity oflithium packs can be increased byhigher pressure on the pack ( i son´t know exactely why) so the fewer athmospheric pressure while in a cargo plane may have led to the batteries getting "overcharged" and then lit up.

i believe this is one of the incidents that led to the new regulations about shipping lithium cells and the fixed maximum weight no matter how professionally they are packed up - ups can´t simply prohibit the usage in their terms of service only but have to involve all other agencies and supervising institutions that involve air cargo and air traffic for making sure this stuff doesn´t pop up with their shipments all the time.

i recall at least 2 plane crashes that involved freight ( cartridges of oxigen generators) or electric sparks ( ok this was in the tank9 that brought passenger planes down, i wouldn´t want to it in a plane crashing cause some turd that has not packed his chinese bicycle li-ions properly and has charged them up to the maximun - sure receipt for a fire as it seems.

 

[tonytieger]

That's interesting, didn't know pressure can increase capacity, do you know if this is a huge increase or a small percentage increase? I would imagine it's small enough that decreasing pressure won't cause an "overcharge".

Shipping batteries in a discharged state might be a safer way to go, would be safer in terms of accidental short circuit, too.

 

[AndyH]

As a pilot, I agree with rational efforts to make passenger flights safer, but this seems to be off the mark as they only want to further regulate cargo shipments, not consumer devices. Yet consumer devices in the passenger cabin caused three of the five incidents noted in the USA Today article. The smokeless cigarettes and a bicycle pack were on cargo aircraft, while the flashlight, laptop, and DVD player were in the cabin of passenger flights.

Primary lithium batteries as cargo are already banned from passenger flights. There are already rules in place for shipping secondary/rechargeable lithium cells as cargo - how many more rules do we need? :?

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/1448-full.html#201054

"The Air Line Pilots Association on Tuesday asked for an immediate federal ban on all shipments of lithium batteries on passenger and cargo aircraft until new regulations are in place to ensure their safe transport. ALPA said its concern extends only to batteries packed as cargo, not to batteries in consumer products that passengers (or pilots) might carry aboard. "ALPA has long called for regulations to ensure that safety is the first priority in transporting shipments of lithium batteries aboard airliners," said Mark Rogers, director of ALPA's Dangerous Goods Programs. "Now the evidence of a clear and present danger is mounting. We need an immediate ban on these dangerous goods to protect airline passengers, crews, and cargo." ALPA said three recent incidents have demonstrated the hazards of the battery shipments.

Those incidents occurred on board U.S. aircraft in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, the Dominican Republic, and Honolulu. None resulted in injuries. ALPA noted that the NTSB recommended that lithium battery shipments should be regulated as dangerous goods after a fire aboard a DC-8 in Philadelphia in 2006. Stricter rules should require appropriate packaging, labeling, marking, testing, and pilot notification, ALPA says. If federal agencies don't take action, ALPA President John Prater said his organization will ask Congress to intervene. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told USA Today the government sees no need for an emergency ban on lithium battery shipments, because strict new rules are already in the works. "We're monitoring the situation," Brown said. "We understand there have been incidents." The new rules will be drafted by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which has been working on the project for two years. The Minneapolis incident occurred Aug. 14, when a fire started in a FedEx cargo container containing battery-powered smokeless cigarettes shortly before the jet landed in Minneapolis. The shipment of bulk non-rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger jets has been prohibited since 2004 (PDF)."