Samsung smartphone catches fire mid-air on Jet Airways flight with non-functional fire extinguishers

A Jet Airways passenger plane takes off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad

The smartphone of a passenger onboard a Delhi-Indore flight caught fire on Friday resulting in panic for nearly 120 passengers who eventually landed safely after the flame was extinguished by putting the device in water.

The handset, a Samsung J7, belonged to Delhi resident Arpita Dhal and was kept in her handbag under the seat.

Around 15 minutes into the flight, Arpita Dhal noticed smoke coming out of her bag and called the crew for help.

“It was a mid-air panic. We prayed to god,” said Atul, Arpita’s husband who was with her as per a report by Hindustan Times.

Arpita said that she would be lodging a complaint against Jet Airways as soon as she returns, for a major safety lapse of onboard fire extinguishers not working.

The airline staff had to immerse the phone in a tray of water to put out the fumes.

An official spokesperson from Jet Airways, commenting on the situation said in the report: “Jet Airways crew immediately took charge of the situation, as also all necessary steps as precautionary measure (were taken), and as per the prescribed guidelines.”

The phone has been confiscated for now and will be returned after investigations.

The Samsung J7 is among the South Korean giant’s popular mid-range smartphones it sells in India.

The incident once again brought back memories of the Samsung’s now-discontinued premium smartphone Galaxy Note 7, whose multiple infamous instances of catching fire prompted the DGCA to issue a ban on it last year.

The Note 7’s burning was apparently linked to a “very rare manufacturing process error” as per a statement from a Samsung representative to CNET. The South Korean giant had apparently placed pressure of plates contained within battery cells, that triggered the explosions.

The Samsung Note 7 had caught fire more than 112 times after a month's sale  - the most such incidents among all smartphones.

However, Samsung is not the only one in the blowing up list. There have been global reports of Apple and Xiaomi phones catching fire as well.

Months back, a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 exploded in a user’s pocket while he was driving his bike in Andhra Pradesh's Ravulapalem. A previous video of a smartphone catching fire while inserting a SIM, allegedly a Redmi Note 4, was widely shared on social media.