Lithium Batteries Attract Scrutiny

NTSB Member Deborah A.P. Hersman testified, Thursday, before Congress about the safety of hazardous materials transportation. Part of that testimony was focused on the transportation of lithium batteries, a current issue of concern to many in aviation.

Testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, Hersman said that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has failed to act on NTSB recommendations to address these safety issues.

The NTSB has recommended that PHMSA require reporting of all incidents involving lithium battery fires, that failed batteries be retained and examined, and that exemptions allowing transportation of some lithium batteries without proper labeling be eliminated. Lithium batteries are commonly found in watches, cameras, cell phones and laptop computers.  Failed batteries can ignite spontaneously,
posing a safety hazard when they are transported in aviation.

The NTSB investigated a fire that destroyed two cargo pallets at Los Angeles International Airport in 1999, and another fire in 2006 that destroyed a cargo aircraft in Philadelphia. Although the second case could not be directly tied to lithium batteries, the accident prompted the Board to closely examine the issue.

"As the popularity of electronic equipment has increased," Hersman said, "so has the number of incidents of lithium battery fires in transportation. An in-depth analysis of the causes of lithium battery failures would improve the safe transportation of these batteries." 

FMI: www.ntsb.gov/speeches/hersman/Testimony_Hersman_090514.pdf