Report: Lithium batteries on crashed UPS plane - lithium air battery

WASHINGTON-The cargo of a United Parcel Service aircraft that caught fire and crashed last year included lithium batteries, which should have been declared dangerous goods, but not, according to an accident report released by the Dubai Government Civil Aviation Administration on Sunday.
The report also paints a poignant picture of two pilots landing desperately in the event of an emergency lack of oxygen, and braving smoke, unable to see flying instruments or changing radio frequencies. The Boeing 747-
400 crashed near Dubai airport.
When the first officer of the plane tried to make an emergency landing.
Both pilots were killed.
The report did not identify the cause of the fire and is expected to raise questions about the shipment of the battery.
Battery can be short-circuited-
Circuit and cause a fire that is hot enough to melt the plane.
UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot said that in response to the accident, the company is evaluating about 40 different safety technologies, including some that help protect what pilots see in smoke.
He said the company is also re-evaluating the cockpit emergency oxygen system on their aircraft.
The UPS aircraft arrived in Dubai from Hong Kong and the goods were identified as "lithium batteries and electronic devices equipped with lithium batteries or lithium batteries" distributed throughout the cargo hold, the report said.
There is no declaration of dangerous goods on the flight manifest, but at least three shipments carry rechargeable lithium batteries that should have been considered dangerous goods under international shipping regulations, the report said.
The plane flew to Germany after a few hours in Dubai. Twenty-
When the plane was close to 32,000 feet, a fire alarm sounded one minute after the plane took off.
Captain Doug Lampe reported to the Bahrain air traffic control bureau that there was a fire on the main deck of the aircraft, the same as the cabin on the passenger plane.
He said the plane needs to land soon.
Despite being closer to the Doha International Airport, Lampe asked to return to Dubai --
Decisions not explained in the report.
Three minutes after the first alarm, more alarms began to ring.
Pilots wear oxygen masks and goggles, which affects their ability to talk to each other.
About five minutes after the first alarm, Lampe reported "smoke billowing" in the cockpit ".
"He told the chief deputy Matthew bell that it was difficult for him to see his instrument.
Bell commented on the heat in the cockpit.
About two minutes later, Lampe "declared a lack of oxygen supply," the report said, handing control of the flight to Bell, leaving the seat, presumably to find a portable oxygen tank.
According to the report, the cockpit recorder or flight data recorder did not show that he had returned.
Eight minutes after the first fire alarm, Bell said by radio, "for help, for help, can you hear me?
"He advised that he must continue to use radio frequencies for Bahrain as smoke prevented him from turning to Dubai air traffic control.
Bahrain controllers advised them to relay the communication to the pilot of another aircraft and then relay the communication to Dubai controllers.
A few minutes later, Bell also said he was leaving the controls to find oxygen.
Soon after, he came back, but the report showed that the plane had become difficult to control.
When Bell tried to get the plane to land, it flew over Dubai airport and crashed.
Lithium batteries have become the focus of an ongoing lobbying campaign in Washington.
The proposed transport sector rules will require lithium batteries-
Like watches, mobile phones, laptops and countless other products --
It is considered dangerous goods by air.
At present, only some large lithium batteries need to be treated as dangerous goods.
The proposed rule will require special packaging and handling of battery shipments.
The pilots must be informed that the batteries are on board and where they are located.
Workers preparing to ship batteries must receive special training.
The proposal was opposed by many foreign and domestic companies, including UPS, and several major U. S. companies. S.
Trading partners.
It will cost industry hundreds of millions of dollars to disrupt international shipping, they said.
The House passed the Republican Party on Friday.
The draft bill will be passed by requiring the US government to effectively block the proposal. S.
Adhere to weak international shipping standards.
Unlike other types of batteries, some lithium batteries contain metals that spontaneously ignite if exposed to air.
In addition, the positive and negative poles in some lithium batteries are closely connected, making it easier to short-circuit, thus causing fire.
Fire involving rechargeable Lithium
The ion battery can reach 1,100 degrees, close to the melting point of aluminum, the key material in the aircraft structure. Lithium-
The temperature of the metal battery is much higher and can reach 4,000 degrees.