What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
At 2045(l),on 8/23/2021, an privacy data omitted737-990ER, registration number N479AS, performed an evacuation due to smoke emanating from a passenger's cellphone while holding short of the gate at Seatac, WA, airport. 3 of the 128 passengers received minor injuries during the evacuation while 1 passenger was diagnosed with a broken elbow. The broken elbow lead the mishap to be classified as an accident by the NTSB. The 6 crew members were uninjured.
privacy data omitted Was scheduled service from new orleans, la (msy) to seattle, WA (sea). The flight landed uneventfully at 2036(l). While stopped short on taxiway "a" waiting for the gate to clear, a passenger seated in 9D noticed smoke emanating from his privacy data omittedcellphone. The passenger dropped the cellphone onto the carpeted floor and kicked at it with his heel in an attempt to stop the smoke. His actions instead caused the cellphone to emit sparks while continuing to smoke.
The commotion was noticed by a flight attendant who alerted the other cabin crew members. A containment bag, known as a baker bag, and gloves, were procured and the cellphone was placed inside the bag. By this time the cellphone was emitting acrid smoke that was beginning to circulate throughout the cabin. The cockpit was alerted to the presence of fire and smoke by a flight attendant using the aircraft interphone system.
Once inside the containment bag, halon extinguishing agent was applied. This had a moderating effect on the smoke. The preferred agent for cellphone fires, however, due to its cooling effect, is water, which was available but never applied. The containment bag was placed in an aft lavatory as smoke continued to disperse throughout the cabin.
The captain alerted Seatac tower that they had a smoke/fire issue of unknown severity, which caused Seatac fire rescue trucks and personnel to be deployed to the scene. Moments after fire rescue arrived the captain advised the cabin crew to begin the evacuation.
The subsequent successful evacuation of 128 passengers and 6 crew members utilized every available aircraft exit with the exception of the over-wing exits and the cockpit escape ropes. 3 passengers suffered minor cuts and scrapes, and 1 suffered a broken elbow, but no one required immediate transport to a hospital. Seatac fir/rescue personnel provided immediate aid to those requiring it.
Significantly, none of the passengers attempted to evacuate with their personal belongings and the overhead baggage stowage compartments remained closed.
All crewmembers reported during debrief that their training "kicked in" when it was required, which in turn allowed for a successful evacuation. Once all passengers were accounted for on the ground buses were procured to transport passengers and crew into the terminal.
Damage to the aircraft was limited to a small piece of charred carpet in the vicinity of seat 9D. All exit doors had their slides deployed which had to be replaced.
The cellphone was forwarded to the consumer products safety commission for analysis.
As the FAA filed it
AT 2045(L),ON 8/23/2021, AN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^737-990ER, REGISTRATION NUMBER N479AS, PERFORMED AN EVACUATION DUE TO SMOKE EMANATING FROM A PASSENGER'S CELLPHONE WHILE HOLDING SHORT OF THE GATE AT SEATAC, WA, AIRPORT. 3 OF THE 128 PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES DURING THE EVACUATION WHILE 1 PASSENGER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A BROKEN ELBOW. THE BROKEN ELBOW LEAD THE MISHAP TO BE CLASSIFIED AS AN ACCIDENT BY THE NTSB. THE 6 CREW MEMBERS WERE UNINJURED.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS SCHEDULED SERVICE FROM NEW ORLEANS, LA (MSY) TO SEATTLE, WA (SEA). THE FLIGHT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT 2036(L). WHILE STOPPED SHORT ON TAXIWAY "A" WAITING FOR THE GATE TO CLEAR, A PASSENGER SEATED IN 9D NOTICED SMOKE EMANATING FROM HIS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^CELLPHONE. THE PASSENGER DROPPED THE CELLPHONE ONTO THE CARPETED FLOOR AND KICKED AT IT WITH HIS HEEL IN AN ATTEMPT TO STOP THE SMOKE. HIS ACTIONS INSTEAD CAUSED THE CELLPHONE TO EMIT SPARKS WHILE CONTINUING TO SMOKE.
THE COMMOTION WAS NOTICED BY A FLIGHT ATTENDANT WHO ALERTED THE OTHER CABIN CREW MEMBERS. A CONTAINMENT BAG, KNOWN AS A BAKER BAG, AND GLOVES, WERE PROCURED AND THE CELLPHONE WAS PLACED INSIDE THE BAG. BY THIS TIME THE CELLPHONE WAS EMITTING ACRID SMOKE THAT WAS BEGINNING TO CIRCULATE THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. THE COCKPIT WAS ALERTED TO THE PRESENCE OF FIRE AND SMOKE BY A FLIGHT ATTENDANT USING THE AIRCRAFT INTERPHONE SYSTEM.
ONCE INSIDE THE CONTAINMENT BAG, HALON EXTINGUISHING AGENT WAS APPLIED. THIS HAD A MODERATING EFFECT ON THE SMOKE. THE PREFERRED AGENT FOR CELLPHONE FIRES, HOWEVER, DUE TO ITS COOLING EFFECT, IS WATER, WHICH WAS AVAILABLE BUT NEVER APPLIED. THE CONTAINMENT BAG WAS PLACED IN AN AFT LAVATORY AS SMOKE CONTINUED TO DISPERSE THROUGHOUT THE CABIN.
THE CAPTAIN ALERTED SEATAC TOWER THAT THEY HAD A SMOKE/FIRE ISSUE OF UNKNOWN SEVERITY, WHICH CAUSED SEATAC FIRE RESCUE TRUCKS AND PERSONNEL TO BE DEPLOYED TO THE SCENE. MOMENTS AFTER FIRE RESCUE ARRIVED THE CAPTAIN ADVISED THE CABIN CREW TO BEGIN THE EVACUATION.
THE SUBSEQUENT SUCCESSFUL EVACUATION OF 128 PASSENGERS AND 6 CREW MEMBERS UTILIZED EVERY AVAILABLE AIRCRAFT EXIT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE OVER-WING EXITS AND THE COCKPIT ESCAPE ROPES. 3 PASSENGERS SUFFERED MINOR CUTS AND SCRAPES, AND 1 SUFFERED A BROKEN ELBOW, BUT NO ONE REQUIRED IMMEDIATE TRANSPORT TO A HOSPITAL. SEATAC FIR/RESCUE PERSONNEL PROVIDED IMMEDIATE AID TO THOSE REQUIRING IT.
SIGNIFICANTLY, NONE OF THE PASSENGERS ATTEMPTED TO EVACUATE WITH THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS AND THE OVERHEAD BAGGAGE STOWAGE COMPARTMENTS REMAINED CLOSED.
ALL CREWMEMBERS REPORTED DURING DEBRIEF THAT THEIR TRAINING "KICKED IN" WHEN IT WAS REQUIRED, WHICH IN TURN ALLOWED FOR A SUCCESSFUL EVACUATION. ONCE ALL PASSENGERS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR ON THE GROUND BUSES WERE PROCURED TO TRANSPORT PASSENGERS AND CREW INTO THE TERMINAL.
DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO A SMALL PIECE OF CHARRED CARPET IN THE VICINITY OF SEAT 9D. ALL EXIT DOORS HAD THEIR SLIDES DEPLOYED WHICH HAD TO BE REPLACED.
THE CELLPHONE WAS FORWARDED TO THE CONSUMER PRODUCTS SAFETY COMMISSION FOR ANALYSIS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.