India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked users to exercise caution with all Galaxy Note smartphones after a Galaxy Note 2 burst into flames on a flight from Singapore to Chennai. It comes after Samsung recalled all Galaxy Note 7 handsets due to a risk of exploding. The handset, which was stowed in the plane’s overhead bin, started emitting smoke just as the plane was about to land on Friday morning. “The crew noticed smoke from the bin and found the device was emitting smoke after possibly catching fire. They used fire extinguishers on it,” said a spokesperson for the DGCA. “We advise flyers to exercise caution while flying with Samsung Note devices. They should either keep these devices switched off or not travel with them.” Airline IndiGo also confirmed the incident. It says the crew immediately informed the pilot-in-command, who then alerted the ATC of the situation. Some passengers were located to other seats, while the Galaxy Note 2 was transferred into a container filled with water in the toilet. “We are aware of an incident involving one of our devices,” said a Samsung spokesperson. “At Samsung, customer safety is our highest priority. We are in touch with relevant authorities to gather more information, and are looking into the matter.” The Galaxy Note 2, which is no longer sold by Samsung, is considered totally safe. If you have one, then, you shouldn’t have any issues if you carry on using it. This is considered a rare incident and does not mean there is a widespread problem with the device. The DGCA now wants to speak to Samsung officials regarding its smartphones, and has requested a device “for a probe.” The DGCA has previously asked flyers to keep their Galaxy Note 7 units switched off during flights.
