Exploding iPhone investigated

Australian aviation authorities have launched an investigation after an iPhone caught fire aboard a flight to Sydney. 

Domestic airline Regional Express Airlines said the iPhone glowed red and emitted 'thick smoke' after the plane landed in Sydney

 

The domestic airline Regional Express Airlines said the phone glowed red and emitted "thick smoke" after the plane landed in Sydney.

The case is being investigated by the aviation watchdog, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which described it as an incident involving "fumes, smoke, fire". The authority is examining the phone after it was delivered by the airline.

"We are investigating – it is quite early on in the investigation," said a spokesman for the authority.

"We do have the phone. It is in our custody and we will be undertaking a technical examination of it. We will be interviewing directly involved parties and also in our technical examination of the phone we are going to be consulting with the manufacturer as well."

The airline released a photo of the phone, saying the "combustion" incident occurred last Friday during a flight to Sydney from the New South Wales town of Lismore.

"The flight attendant carried out recovery actions immediately and the red glow was extinguished successfully," said a statement issued by the airline. "All passengers and crew on board were unharmed." Though the aviation authority did not identify the model of phone, a photo released by the airline suggests it was an iPhone 4.


An Apple spokesman said the company looked "forward to working with officials".


Though aviation officials said it was the first known incident involving an iPhone, Apple has previously had problems with the first generation of iPod nanos. A batch of the devices, sold between 2005 and 2006, were recalled amid concerns a defect with the battery was causing overheating.