FAA and NTSB share concerns over lithium battery risks

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have recently completed fire testing on batteries, the results of which have highlighted the potential risk of a lithium (Li-ion) battery fire or explosion leading to catastrophic aircraft loss. Having established that current fire suppression systems are inadequate to control a lithium battery fire, the FAA has now issued a safety alert to all foreign and commercial US passenger and cargo airlines. In addition, it has issued guidance to its own inspectors which will enable them to establish whether airlines have effectively taken into account all the risks involved in the transportation of li-ion batteries as cargo.
Airlines have been encouraged to pay particular attention to the risks involved in the transportation of these batteries; the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) together with Airbus and Boeing have been involved in urging them to conduct thorough safety risk assessments. While rules exist which do not allow passenger airlines to carry li-ion batteries as cargo, certain major airlines have extended this to banning the transportation of any rechargeable li-ion batteries. This safety risk assessment has been aimed at increasing awareness into the dangers of transporting li-ion batteries with a view to helping airlines avoid accidentally transporting them.
At the same time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released two safety recommendations; to physically separate li-ion batteries from other flammable and hazardous materials, and the establishment of maximum load densities in order to restrict the quantities of these batteries and other hazardous materials being transported. The recommendations have come about from the results of the report into the in-flight fire and crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 991, a cargo plane which crashed and killed both pilots on July 28, 2011.
According to Christopher A. Hart, NTSB Chairman, “The National Transportation Safety Board urges the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to take action on these safety recommendations to reduce the likelihood and severity of potential cargo fires and to provide additional time for the crew to safely land a cargo aircraft in the event a fire is detected.”
While the PHMSA has no powers to enforce the safe transportation of li-ion batteries above and beyond that of current international restrictions, Congress has given it the authority to act if it discovers that current regulations in place contribute toward the start or spread of a fire caused by these batteries.