What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Thursday September 26, 2013 an inspector from the o?hare flight standards office (FSDO) was on telephone standby and received a phone call from the great lakes regional operation center ( roc) at 2000 hours. The Washington operations center AEO-100 (woc), American airlines (aala) manager dangerous goods compliance/ mike wentz, Chicago police department/sargent conroy, Chicago fire department chief/timothy sampey and FAA ash/christopher zawarus. Were also on the confence call with the great lakes roc. An American airlines (aala) MD-80 aircraft , registration number N493AA flight 1159, ord ?stl returned and landed ord without further incident after declaring an emergency due to a fire in the rear cabin. The fire was located in overhead bin from a camcorder battery; the fire was extinguished by flight crew.
The inspector arrived at ord at 2200 hours on September 26, 2013 to conduct the investigation. The pilot of the aircraft reported a fire on board in the back of the aircraft. It was first reported as a lap top on fire and the fire was contained, Chicago fire and rescue (CFR) was notified, CFR boarded the aircraft for the inspection when AAL1159 exited off runway 10L. The laptop was removed from the aircraft and AAL1159 taxied to gate K7, no injuries and no damage except where the fire extinquisher was discharged. Chicago fire department (cfd) advised that the device was a camcorder. There were 2 flight crew, 3CABIN crew and 126 passenger onboard the aircraft with no reported injuries.
Upon further investigation the Chicago fired department (cfd) fire chief reported the cause of the fire was a spare camcorder battery stored in the pouch of a laptop case, the battery was not in the camcorder. There was a lanyard in the pouch with the battery, when the chain link of the lanyard touched the contacts of the nikon ion battery it ignited. There were holes burned in the bottom of the brief case. No injuries and no visual aircraft damage. The flight crew extinguished the fire by putting it out in an ice bucket.
American airlines (aala) aircraft was inspected visually but no damage was noted. The aircraft was still at the gate and was being moved to the maintenance hangar for a more in-depth inspection. Aala maintenance will update the inspector with any findings.
After the, aircraft was inspected no damage was noted to overhead bin at row 26. Maintenance removed and replaced 3 halon fire extinguishers. Reference aala?s aircraft maintenance logbook, page 12302236, block 2.
As the FAA filed it
ON THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 AN INSPECTOR FROM THE O?HARE FLIGHT STANDARDS OFFICE (FSDO) WAS ON TELEPHONE STANDBY AND RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGIONAL OPERATION CENTER ( ROC) AT 2000 HOURS. THE WASHINGTON OPERATIONS CENTER AEO-100 (WOC), AMERICAN AIRLINES (AALA) MANAGER DANGEROUS GOODS COMPLIANCE/ MIKE WENTZ, CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT/SARGENT CONROY, CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF/TIMOTHY SAMPEY AND FAA ASH/CHRISTOPHER ZAWARUS. WERE ALSO ON THE CONFENCE CALL WITH THE GREAT LAKES ROC. AN AMERICAN AIRLINES (AALA) MD-80 AIRCRAFT , REGISTRATION NUMBER N493AA FLIGHT 1159, ORD ?STL RETURNED AND LANDED ORD WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY DUE TO A FIRE IN THE REAR CABIN. THE FIRE WAS LOCATED IN OVERHEAD BIN FROM A CAMCORDER BATTERY; THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY FLIGHT CREW.
THE INSPECTOR ARRIVED AT ORD AT 2200 HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 TO CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION. THE PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT REPORTED A FIRE ON BOARD IN THE BACK OF THE AIRCRAFT. IT WAS FIRST REPORTED AS A LAP TOP ON FIRE AND THE FIRE WAS CONTAINED, CHICAGO FIRE AND RESCUE (CFR) WAS NOTIFIED, CFR BOARDED THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE INSPECTION WHEN AAL1159 EXITED OFF RUNWAY 10L. THE LAPTOP WAS REMOVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND AAL1159 TAXIED TO GATE K7, NO INJURIES AND NO DAMAGE EXCEPT WHERE THE FIRE EXTINQUISHER WAS DISCHARGED. CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT (CFD) ADVISED THAT THE DEVICE WAS A CAMCORDER. THERE WERE 2 FLIGHT CREW, 3CABIN CREW AND 126 PASSENGER ONBOARD THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES.
UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THE CHICAGO FIRED DEPARTMENT (CFD) FIRE CHIEF REPORTED THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS A SPARE CAMCORDER BATTERY STORED IN THE POUCH OF A LAPTOP CASE, THE BATTERY WAS NOT IN THE CAMCORDER. THERE WAS A LANYARD IN THE POUCH WITH THE BATTERY, WHEN THE CHAIN LINK OF THE LANYARD TOUCHED THE CONTACTS OF THE NIKON ION BATTERY IT IGNITED. THERE WERE HOLES BURNED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIEF CASE. NO INJURIES AND NO VISUAL AIRCRAFT DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT CREW EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE BY PUTTING IT OUT IN AN ICE BUCKET.
AMERICAN AIRLINES (AALA) AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED VISUALLY BUT NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS STILL AT THE GATE AND WAS BEING MOVED TO THE MAINTENANCE HANGAR FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH INSPECTION. AALA MAINTENANCE WILL UPDATE THE INSPECTOR WITH ANY FINDINGS.
AFTER THE, AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO OVERHEAD BIN AT ROW 26. MAINTENANCE REMOVED AND REPLACED 3 HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. REFERENCE AALA?S AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGBOOK, PAGE 12302236, BLOCK 2.