Most of you may be aware of the plane crash that occurred on May 2016 with the EgyptAir Flight 804 that resulted in 66 passengers dying after the plane landed in the Mediterranean Sea. The flight had 15 French citizens who were also killed.
According to the latest investigations carried out by French officials, it seems that the crash was due to an iPhone getting overheated on board.
The French investigation: According to the French newspaper, Le Parisien, French officials have no doubt about the fact that the plane crashed due to an overheated iPhone. They believe that the overheating caused the explosion and that it might have either been an iPhone or iPad which caused it.
The French National Center for Scientific Research is working in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Defense to see whether this was actually the case. As such, an iPhone 6s and iPad Mini 4 are being tested as part of the investigation.
The case of iPhone battery: Like every other time, it is believed that the battery was the primary cause of the entire explosion. French experts say that the battery might have overheated due to being charged on board and hence resulted in the phone exploding.
It has been reported recently that many other iPhones have exploded similarly. Nevertheless, Apple has not stated anything with regards to the situation. Rather, Apple says that the batteries of iPhone are rigorously tested so that such events are prevented, and hence it is unlikely that the battery might have been the primary cause.
It says that there is no proof that links the iPhone with the explosion, but is more than happy to answer any questions that may help the investigation.
Egypt may have taken Apple’s side: Unlike their French counterparts, Egyptians do not believe that an iPhone was the primary cause. According to Egypt officials, there was an actual explosion in the plane.
They justify their claim by saying that remains of explosives were found on the plane. However, whether this was yet another terrorist attack, is a question that remains to be answered.
Nonetheless, smartphone charging on aircraft should be avoided as there is no guarantee with regards to the quality of the phone. It can be extremely dangerous, and perhaps aircraft should have a policy of preventing the passengers from charging their phones on board.
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