A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone caught fire on Southwest Airline flight 994 from Louisville to Baltimore on Wednesday. The passenger and crew were forced to evacuate at the gate and no injuries were reported.
The phone was a replacement Galaxy Note 7 and was, thus, certified as safe by Samsung. Brian Green, owner of the phone, told The Verge that he picked up the phone from an AT&T store on September 21st. A black square symbol on the box indicates that the phone had been inspected for safety and approved.
Green turned the phone off for takeoff, per the request of the flight crew, and placed it in his pocket when it began smoking. He then dropped it on the floor of the plane and he reported that a “grey-green” smoke started coming out of the device.
Sarah Green, Brian Green’s wife, reported that that Green had replaced his original phone about two weeks ago after getting a text message from Samsung.
Samsung Electronics Co issued a statement saying, “Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7."