An air carrier B767 flight crew discovered that a camcorder battery had overheated in a carry-on bag...

Narrative:

During a slight delay for a maintenance problem, a smell was noted by a flight attendant and passed to the cockpit. International relief pilot went back to investigate and confirmed smell. Maintenance was called to investigate. They started to take down panels and passenger were observing and getting concerned. Decision was made to deplane passenger, when flight attendant opened overhead bin and noticed smoke from a passenger bag. Maintenance removed bag to jetbridge where several cloth items were smoldering. Cause appeared to be a camcorder battery which was extremely hot. Passenger accompanied bag and removed all articles on fire. When bag checked, we departed a few mins later. We are thankful this was caught before flight, and glad it was not in belly when fire started. Remainder of flight uneventful. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain is continuing to pursue this incident with his company. The initial reaction of his immediate supervisor, according to the captain, was that nothing happened because the various crew members reacted swiftly. Therefore the matter was not worth investigating further. The captain, in part, blames himself for not gathering more information from the passenger. He said that the passenger was very upset that this happened and was quite aware of the potential for disaster if they had been airborne. The maintenance technician who removed the battery burned his hand. Some of the clothing in the carry-on bag appeared to be scorched or melted. The captain did not see any metallic items among the remains of the clothing visible to him. He said that a previous battery incident involved a metal zipper that contacted both poles of a battery creating a direct short that caused smoke to develop. This battery was also packed loose among the passenger clothing. The captain is going to call one of the people in the airline's safety office to see if more information is available.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B767 FLC DISCOVERED THAT A CAMCORDER BATTERY HAD OVERHEATED IN A CARRY-ON BAG AND WAS CAUSING SMOKE AND FUMES TO ENTER THE CABIN FROM THE OVERHEAD STORAGE BIN.

Narrative: DURING A SLIGHT DELAY FOR A MAINT PROB, A SMELL WAS NOTED BY A FLT ATTENDANT AND PASSED TO THE COCKPIT. INTL RELIEF PLT WENT BACK TO INVESTIGATE AND CONFIRMED SMELL. MAINT WAS CALLED TO INVESTIGATE. THEY STARTED TO TAKE DOWN PANELS AND PAX WERE OBSERVING AND GETTING CONCERNED. DECISION WAS MADE TO DEPLANE PAX, WHEN FLT ATTENDANT OPENED OVERHEAD BIN AND NOTICED SMOKE FROM A PAX BAG. MAINT REMOVED BAG TO JETBRIDGE WHERE SEVERAL CLOTH ITEMS WERE SMOLDERING. CAUSE APPEARED TO BE A CAMCORDER BATTERY WHICH WAS EXTREMELY HOT. PAX ACCOMPANIED BAG AND REMOVED ALL ARTICLES ON FIRE. WHEN BAG CHKED, WE DEPARTED A FEW MINS LATER. WE ARE THANKFUL THIS WAS CAUGHT BEFORE FLT, AND GLAD IT WAS NOT IN BELLY WHEN FIRE STARTED. REMAINDER OF FLT UNEVENTFUL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT IS CONTINUING TO PURSUE THIS INCIDENT WITH HIS COMPANY. THE INITIAL REACTION OF HIS IMMEDIATE SUPVR, ACCORDING TO THE CAPT, WAS THAT NOTHING HAPPENED BECAUSE THE VARIOUS CREW MEMBERS REACTED SWIFTLY. THEREFORE THE MATTER WAS NOT WORTH INVESTIGATING FURTHER. THE CAPT, IN PART, BLAMES HIMSELF FOR NOT GATHERING MORE INFO FROM THE PAX. HE SAID THAT THE PAX WAS VERY UPSET THAT THIS HAPPENED AND WAS QUITE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER IF THEY HAD BEEN AIRBORNE. THE MAINT TECHNICIAN WHO REMOVED THE BATTERY BURNED HIS HAND. SOME OF THE CLOTHING IN THE CARRY-ON BAG APPEARED TO BE SCORCHED OR MELTED. THE CAPT DID NOT SEE ANY METALLIC ITEMS AMONG THE REMAINS OF THE CLOTHING VISIBLE TO HIM. HE SAID THAT A PREVIOUS BATTERY INCIDENT INVOLVED A METAL ZIPPER THAT CONTACTED BOTH POLES OF A BATTERY CREATING A DIRECT SHORT THAT CAUSED SMOKE TO DEVELOP. THIS BATTERY WAS ALSO PACKED LOOSE AMONG THE PAX CLOTHING. THE CAPT IS GOING TO CALL ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AIRLINE'S SAFETY OFFICE TO SEE IF MORE INFO IS AVAILABLE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	440497
Time
Date	199906
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw.airport
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	440497
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : relief pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	cabin event : passenger electronic device cabin event other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : cab 4 mech 5
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Environmental Factor

An air carrier B767 flight crew discovered that a camcorder battery had overheated in a carry-on bag and was causing smoke and fumes to enter the cabin from the overhead storage bin.