August 23, 2016

Dangerous Goods Meeting Examines Lithium Battery Threat

ALPA’s Air Safety Organization (ASO) brought together high-ranking government and aviation industry officials with ALPA pilot reps on Tuesday for an open discussion about the safe air transport of hazardous materials and current efforts to mitigate the risks involved. Capt. Scott Schwartz (FDX), the ASO’s Dangerous Goods program director, served as moderator of the meeting, which addressed regulations, trends, and research affecting the safe transportation of dangerous goods as cargo with particular emphasis on improving the transport of lithium batteries.

Schwartz began the session with a review of the changes in ICAO standards which became effective in April 2016, including a temporary ban on the shipment of lithium-ion batteries on passenger aircraft. ICAO also requires that lithium-ion batteries be shipped on cargo aircraft with a charge of 30 percent or less.

Dovetailing on Schwartz’s comments, Duane Pfund, the DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s international standards coordinator for policy and programs, detailed U.S. harmonization efforts with ICAO policies as well as SAE’s ongoing work to develop better packaging standards.

Paul Stancil, a senior hazmat accident investigator at the NTSB, examined the details of the Asiana Flight 991 accident in July 2011, noting, “the probable cause statement indicated that lithium batteries propagated the fire.”

“Not all batteries are created equal,” said Stephane Rosetti, senior manager of Medtronic’s logistics/supply chain, explaining how his company ensures that its medical devices, which are powered by lithium batteries, are safe for air cargo operations.

First Officer Mark Rogers (United) also provided an update on the ongoing effort to develop packaging standards so that lithium batteries can be safely shipped by air. Other presentations concentrated on overall efforts to safeguard the transportation of dangerous goods as air cargo, including fire-resistant cargo containers, how to address onboard fires using alternatives to halon, and recent fire-related research conducted at the FAA’s test labs, including data on the effect of fires on aircraft compartments.

During the session, ALPA first vice president and national safety coordinator Capt. Joe DePete addressed the group, thanking them for their work. “We have some great minds working on this problem and I know we’re going to come up with a solution,” he said.

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