An Alaska Airlines flight bound for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport returned safely to Wichita on Sunday after a passenger’s cell phone and portable power bank overheated and ignited mid-air, airline and airport officials confirmed.
Flight 2117, operated by Horizon Air on behalf of Alaska Airlines, departed Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport but diverted back to the gate shortly after takeoff when the device began to overheat in the passenger cabin. The aircraft involved was an Embraer 175 jet.
Crew members responded quickly to the incident. Flight attendants placed the affected phone and external battery into a containment bag designed to isolate overheated electronics, and the aircraft returned to the airport without further incident…