Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Wheelchair on plane bursts into flames


Battery fire causes near disaster on British holiday jet carrying 229 passengers.



A holiday jet carrying 229 passengers narrowly avoided disaster when a wheelchair stored in the hold burst into flames shortly after landing at Manchester airport. Ground staff unloading baggage from the hold of the First Choice holiday jet noticed blue sparks coming from the chair, it was revealed today. The chair was removed from the Boeing 727-200 jet and placed on a vehicle - where it immediately burst into flames and was destroyed.

Okay, mailonsunday says, "The explosion happened after it was removed from the Boeing 727-000 and placed on a vehicle where it immediately burst into flames." Others say First Choice flight FCA 2662 was a Boeing 757-200.  Take your pick: 727-200, 727-000, 757-200, 867-5309? Anyway...
The scare happened on Sunday September 7, when the First Choice flight FCA 2662 jet landed in the early hours of the morning after a flight from Fuerteventura.

A spokeswoman for Manchester Airport praised the ground handling staff who "spotted the hazard and reacted quickly." The battery on the wheelchair should have been disconnected in the Canary Islands, she added. The scare today prompted the Civil Aviation Authority to issue a warning to passengers about the dangers of "seemingly innocuous items," said a spokesman. - timesonline

Other things that shouldn't catch fire, but do.

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