Premium on Safety - Issue 39, 2020 - 11

FOCUS POINT
Caused by Lithium Type Batteries in Portable Electron Devices; AC
20-42D, Hand Fire Extinguishers for Use in Aircraft; and AC 12080A, In-Flight Fires.
PREFLIGHT PREVENTION
As it is with every other undesirable in-flight situation, preflight
preparation helps prevent them. SAFO 10017 addresses the Risks
of Transporting Lithium Batteries in Cargo by Aircraft. To eliminate
this threat from luggage in the baggage compartment, general
aviators can incorporate lithium-powered PEDs in their preflight
passenger briefing.
To inventory potential risks, step through Batteries Allowed in
Airline Passenger Baggage in the US. Ask if anyone has a Samsung
Note 7, which the FAA banned from flight in 2016 because of its
battery problems.
Make note of SAFO 15003, Fire Risk of Electronic Cigarettes
(e-cigarettes) in Checked Baggage. " This danger may be
exacerbated by the growing trend of users modifying and
rebuilding their reusable e-cigarette devices and interchanging
original and aftermarket batteries, heating elements, and
vaporizing components. " Facing this risk, the SAFO recommends
that aircraft occupants carry their e-cigarette and related devices
with them in the cabin.
When discussing PEDs, cited examples should surpass the
ubiquitous smartphone and tablet. A PED is any device powered
by a lithium battery. This includes laptop computers, digital
cameras, pagers, audio/video/data recording and playback
devices, messaging devices, personal digital assistants, and twoway radios. Don't forget their associated power accessories such
as power banks that quickly restore power to depleted smart
phone batteries.

QUIZ ANSWERS

Quiz on page 5

1. B) Some aircraft are approved for flight
into known icing conditions, and equipped
accordingly. Many, however, are either completely
unequipped for an encounter with in-flight ice,
or barely equipped with equipment designed for
enabling a pilot to escape an icing encounter, if
that pilot acts swiftly and judiciously.
2. C) Answers (A) and (B) are a little vague. Your
first tool when determining if there will be ice
along your route of flight and at the altitudes you
will be flying is to look at the freezing levels.
3. B) The Maximum icing severity chart (find it
at www.aviationweather.gov) gives the best
overview of the types of icing, approximate
location of the icing, and duration of icing aloft
on any given day. The Icing PIREP tells you that
icing existed in the past; it is not a future product,
and the significant weather prognostic chart
merely marks the delineation of the freezing level
at the surface or above mean sea level.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ICING:

Explain that predicting a thermal runaway is difficult, but damage
to the device is a clue of impending risk. Don't overlook seemingly
inconsequential details, such as spare batteries for cameras or
other devices that are missing the covers that protect the contacts
that feed power from the battery to the device. Without the
covers, something, such as loose items, could create a short circuit
between the battery contacts, sparking a fire.
In general aviation, the pilot in command has the final say on what
batteries passengers can pack in their luggage or carry into the
cabin. They are also responsible for ensuring the safety of flight
by having the extinguishing agents needed to subdue a runaway
lithium battery.

- Scott Spangler, fell in love with aviation at age 5, when he found
his father's WWII U.S. Navy Aircraft Identification manuals. A
pilot since 1976, he was the founding editor of Flight Training
magazine, and is currently a contributing editor at JetWhine.
com, Aviation for Women and Kitplanes.

http://www.aviationweather.gov http://www.JetWhine.com http://www.JetWhine.com

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