A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that was reckoned safe ignited on a Southwest Airline plane. This begs the question, are the replacements really safe after all?
After Samsung did a voluntary recall on its Galaxy Note 7 device last September and was able to replace 60 percent of it up to date, there is a report that a deemed safe Note 7 device in a passenger's pocket caught fire while boarding a Southwest flight.
On Board Catastrophe
"Prior to Southwest Airlines Flight 994 departing from Louisville for Baltimore, a customer reported smoke emitting from an electronic device," Southwest said in a report. "Initial reports indicate the device was a Samsung."
The flight was canceled after the incident and all of the passengers were evacuated.
The authorities and Southwest are now working together to recover the device and investigate the cause of the incident. Samsung added that once they have examined the device, the company will have more information to release.
The Device Suddenly Overheated
Brian Green, owner of the phone said that he bought the phablet last September 21 in AT&T and that it is actually a replacement. There was also a black square icon on the device's box that indicates that the phone has been tagged as safe.
According to him, the device was turned off and not charging when he began to notice that his phone in his pocket is overheating. He threw the device on the floor of the plane and it started to release "thick gray-green smoke."
"Safety is always our top priority," the airline said in advising their passengers to follow Federal Aviation Administration rules, which prohibits the usage of mobile phone or turned on devices while on board.
According to Consumer Product Safety Commissions, Samsung has had received 92 reports of overheating batteries in the U.S. alone, resulting in 26 cases of burns and 55 of property damages, including fires in cars and a garage.
Now that they have issued replacements, Samsung is now aiming to get back the confidence of their users. However, with this report, will people still trust the Note 7 enough to get a replacement?
