Self Combusting iPhone on Australian Flight Due to Bad Repair Job

Late last November, we reported of an iPhone self combusting on-board a domestic Australian flight that had just landed in Sydney.

Though it was certainly not the first time an iPhone had exploded, 2009 had a string of incidents related to iPhones, the bizarre incident of the iPhone exploding on a flight scored tons of press coverage due to the dangerous situation it caused.

ZDNet.com.au reported (via MacRumors) today that Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) officials has concluded their investigation into the incident and have determined the cause of the explosion that caused the iPhone to emit dense smoke.

Officials pinpointed the cause to be a screw that pierced its way into the phone's battery after being misplaced during a screen replacement procedure performed by an unauthorized service center.

The phone was sent to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as part of an investigation into the matter, which has now revealed that a misplaced screw punctured the battery casing, leading to a short circuit that caused the battery to overheat.

The screw that caused the issue was the result of a botched screen-replacement job from a non-authorised service centre. A screw from the bottom of the unit, adjacent to the 30-pin connector, found its way into the handset, and caused the battery compartment to puncture as a result.

Martin Dolan - chief commissioner of the ATSB warned against using unauthorised service centers for device repairs.