iPhone Self Combusts on Australian Flight

In a bizarre incident, an Australian airline had to deal with a "self combusting" iPhone as it landed in Sydney. Quick action by a crew member saved the day.

Regional Express, an Australian airline, issued a press release a few days ago covering an exploding iPhone. After landing, a passenger's iPhone "started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow." A nearby crew member quickly followed the recovery actions and extinguished the device, and no passengers or crew members were hurt.

The device is either an iPhone 4 or an iPhone 4S, though it's not clear which. The back glass is shattered and the scorch marks seem concentrated on the lower portion where the battery is located.

The event was reported to both the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau, the latter of which has taken the device for investigation. This isn't the first time a smartphone has exploded, and 2009 had a string of incidents related to iPhones. Apple has not commented on the matter.

It sounds quite scary as the last place you want the iPhone to explode is on a flight.