An Avianca flight operating from Bogotá, Colombia to São Paulo, Brazil was forced to return to Bogotá after an issue with a passenger’s mobile phone battery on 17 July 2024.
Avianca flight AV249, an Airbus A320-200, had made its departure from RWY14R El Dorado international airport (BOG).
Avianca AV249 Bogotá-Sao Paulo
During the subsequent climb after takeoff, flight crew reported that a passenger’s phone had experienced battery overheating.
According to the Aviation Herald, the airline reported that two passengers on board became unruly, and the mobile phone was thrown during the altercation. The phone battery began to heat up and suffered a thermal runaway as a result.
Flight crew elected to make a precautionary return to Bogotá (BOG) and entered a series of holding procedures in the vicinity of the airport.
The holding procedure permitted the flight to burn off fuel prior to making a return landing at El Dorado International Airport.
The flight then landed without further incident approximately 3 ½ hours after its initial departure. Airline personnel handed the two passengers in question to the authorities after the flight’s arrival.
Flight Details
Flight data shows that flight AV249 made an on-time departure out of Bogotá (BOG). Actual time of departure was at 1620 local time on 17 July.
The operating crew terminated the climb procedure at flight level FL240 (24,000 feet). They then commenced a descent and return to the origin airport.
The aircraft then entered holding at flight level FL150 to burn fuel prior to its return.
The aircraft conducting the AV249 service to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) was an Airbus A320-200, registered HK-5410.
This is a 1.9 year old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier Avianca. It has been in operational service with the airline since November 2022.
Thermal runaway in a mobile phone battery is typically caused by a chain reaction of heat generation and chemical decomposition within the battery.
In this case the initial heat trigger occurred when it was thrown during the passenger altercation.
This cycle feeds on itself, rapidly increasing temperature and pressure until the battery fails catastrophically. With oxygen present, the hot gases can ignite, resulting in a fire or explosion.
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