Samsung Tablet Causes Emergency and Diversion on Transatlantic Flight

DigitalVision/Thinkstock(MANCHESTER, England) — A Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam had to divert to Manchester for two hours overnight Saturday into Sunday after smoke and an unknown smell developed in the passenger cabin.

A Delta official and senior U.S. official both told ABC News that the emergency on Flight 138 was caused by a Samsung tablet. The Delta official explained that the tablet fell inside a seat and became jammed after the seat either reclined or was returned to upright. Underneath the seat cover, the tablet and foam then started smoking and passengers could smell a strange odor.

The flight diverted to Manchester, where the seat was replaced entirely. After two hours on the ground, the flight was airborne en route to Amsterdam, where it landed at 5:11 ET on Sunday.

The device that caused the emergency is apparently not the Samsung that is subject to recall because of a faulty battery.

The FAA is reviewing the incident.

In a statement on Monday, Samsung said: “It appears that external factors contributed to this incident. This is not related to the Galaxy Note7. We have reached out to Delta to investigate as the cause is yet to be determined.”

Samsung did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request today for additional comment.

Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on email
Email
Share on print
Print