Concerns over the carriage of lithium batteries on aircraft have been renewed as suspicions grow that such batteries may have been involved in the fire on board a UPS Boeing 747-400 freighter that crashed in Dubai on Sept. 3.

Investigators from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board have not released information about the aircraft’s cargo or the cause of the crash, but people familiar with the flight say the aircraft was carrying a large quantity of consumer electronics. Many such items, including laptop computers and cell phones, are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which have a known potential to overheat, catch fire and burn intensely.

Thick smoke from an on-board fire is known to have filled the cockpit of the three-year-old UPS aircraft, eventually making it impossible for the pilots to see the flight instruments.

In an attempt to return to Dubai, the aircraft overflew the Dubai International Airport before descending and crashing west of the Dubai Silicon Oasis complex. Both pilots were killed in the crash.

The aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered and sent to the U.S. for analysis. Early indications pointed toward a fire originateing in the cargo hold. The fire warning occurred some 28 min. after takeoff from Dubai while the crew was in contact with Bahrain air traffic control. Now, the focus of suspicion of the cause is a consignment containing lithium batteries.

The concern by some airlines over the dangers of carrying lithium batteries has prompted individual bans of the batteries from the holds of their passenger aircraft. Many cargo operators insist that items containing lithium batteries are shipped in special packaging to minimize the fire risk.

Photo credit: Boeing