FAA issues warning against using Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes

WASHINGTON -- Aviation safety officials took the extraordinary step of warning airline passengers not to turn on or charge a new-model Samsung smartphone during flights following numerous reports of the devices catching fire.


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The Federal Aviation Administration issued the warning Thursday night, citing "recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices." It is extremely unusual for the FAA to warn passengers about a specific product.

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Passengers were also urged not to put the phones in checked bags.

Samsung recently stopped selling the phones and recalled more than 2 million of them after reports that the phones have spontaneously caught fire. In one case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.