Samsung phone catches fire in plane;DGCA summons company execs

A high-end Samsung smartphone caught fire inside a Chennai-bound IndiGo aircraft today, creating a scare among over 175 passengers on-board but the plane made a safe landing.
Following the incident, concerning Samsung Galaxy Note 2 device, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all airlines to ban use of this series of smartphones inside planes and the company officials have been summoned by the aviation regulator on Monday over the issue.
Samsung said it is looking into the matter and is in touch with relevant authorities to gather more information.
The fire was reported inside the IndiGo aircraft coming from Singapore while landing at the Chennai airport.

A senior DGCA official said a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 caught fire on an aircraft landing at Chennai airport at 0745 hours today.
The crew had to use fire extinguisher to put off the smoke and following the incident, the DGCA has asked Samsung executives to meet on September 26, the official said.

IndiGo said passengers travelling on 6E-054 flight from Singapore to Chennai noticed the smoke smell in the cabin this morning and immediately alerted the cabin crew on board.
The crew found the smoke to be coming from the hat-rack of seat 23C after which the pilot alerted the ATC of the situation.

"Taking the precautionary measure, the cabin crew on priority relocated all passengers on other seats, and further observed smoke being emitted from a Samsung note 2 which was placed in the baggage (of a passenger) in the overhead bin.
"The crew discharged the fire extinguisher which is as per Standard Operating Procedures prescribed by aircraft manufacturer, and quickly transferred the Samsung Note 2 into a container filled with water in lavatory," the airline said.
Earlier this month, the DGCA banned use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on board an aircraft following a series of incidents of the smartphone's battery exploding in various countries.

However, this is the first incident of the Samsung device catching fire on board in India.