Samsung S6 “overheating and smoking” on flight to Taipei

If you thought the whole Samsung exploding phones saga had gone away, you’re sadly mistaken.

In a recent report, a Samsung Galaxy S6 model travelling to Taipei had allegedly ‘overheated and emitted smoke’. The Civil Aeronautics Administration and Aviation Safety Council who are investigating into the matter said that the passenger’s Galaxy S6 emitted smoke as it was crossing Philippine airspace.

This isn’t the first time that something of this nature has happened. Since the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in August, the South Korean technology giants have been forced to recall millions of mobile phones after 35 reported incidents of the phones overheating worldwide.

It’s reported that, since the first recall, the number of explosive Galaxy Note7s has quadrupled.

Investigation

The Transport Council are taking the incident seriously given that the explosions have the potential to cause injuries as well as deaths. The owner of the Galaxy S6 received small burns to his hands, but without the quick-thinking of the flight attendants, the consequence could’ve been unthinkable.

The Council Executive Director, Thomas Wang, said that the council will complete their investigation within 30 days. Mr Wang continued to say that a report will be published in four months with a detailed analysis and safety recommendations published in a year.

The investigation will look into how the phone was used before the incident as this may have been a factor for the exploding phone, but it could be that the issue lies within the manufacturing of the lithium batteries, which is identified as a potential safety risk when used in mobile phones.

Samsung S6 still in circulation

As there are no firm conclusions on the Galaxy S6, the same model hasn’t been banned on any flights yet. However, the Administration Flight Standards Division Director, Clark Lin, has said that the decision would have to wait until the investigation has concluded.

Many airlines worldwide have banned passengers and flight attendants from bringing the Galaxy Note7 on board.

Potential legal action against Samsung

Samsung may not be looking to defend claims made against them for the Galaxy Note 7. They released a statement saying it “understands the concern our carriers and consumers must be feeling after recent reports have raised questions about our newly released replacement Note 7 devices”.

Samsung’s sales dropped significantly after the ‘exploding’ reports first emerged in September, and their reputation has no doubt taken a hit.