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American Airlines passenger laptop fire prompts FAA probe
The FAA has logged 58 verified lithium battery incidents on US passenger aircraft so far in 2026, highlighting growing risk that insurers are repricing, according to Insurance Business.
A passenger was treated and released after a laptop caught fire aboard American Airlines Flight 2398 as the Airbus A321 approached Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Friday, filling the cabin with smoke and prompting the crew to contain the device with a thermal containment bag, Insurance Business reported.
The flight, carrying 133 people from Atlanta, landed safely at around 6:55pm local time. The pilot told air traffic control that four to five passengers may have suffered burns while the fire was being handled, and the laptop was moved to the middle of the aircraft once contained.
American Airlines said one passenger was confirmed treated at the scene and released, with no hospitalizations reported. The FAA is investigating, and Insurance Business said the incident is the second laptop fire on an American Airlines aircraft this year, after an earlier carry-on laptop fire during boarding of Flight 2045 from San Francisco to Miami, which triggered an evacuation and resulted in three minor injuries.
The outlet also cited FAA data showing 58 verified lithium battery air incidents involving smoke, fire or extreme heat aboard US passenger aircraft so far in 2026. Insurance Business added that lithium batteries can trigger thermal runaway in a pressurized cabin, meaning a smoking device is treated as an emergency regardless of initial containment, and it noted other international incidents, including an EasyJet flight diverted in May after a power bank was found charging in checked luggage.