One hundred and thirty-three people were settling in for the final stretch of American Airlines Flight 2398 when a passenger’s laptop began smoking, then burst into flame. The Airbus A321 was still cruising toward Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, thousands of feet above the ground, with no way to simply pull over.
Flight 2398 Was 30 Minutes From Dallas When the Laptop Ignited
The flight had departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was on its final approach into DFW when the trouble began. According to passenger Jessica Irgens, the fire started roughly 30 minutes before the plane was set to land, when another traveler’s laptop began smoking and then caught fire. The timing put the crew under pressure: too far out to land immediately, too close to divert easily.
Passenger Jessica Irgens Fled Toward the Back as Smoke Spread
Irgens told CBS News she was sitting two rows away from the burning device and moved toward the rear of the aircraft to escape the thick smoke filling the cabin. Other travelers found themselves boxed in by the same haze, unsure how bad the fire would get or whether the plane could make it safely to the ground before things got worse.
Pilot Radioed “Cabin Fire in the Back of the Airplane”
Air traffic control audio captured the moment the crew realized how serious the situation had become. “Cabin fire in the back of the airplane,” the pilot told controllers. “The flight attendants are trying to put it out now.” The urgency in that transmission set off a scramble, both in the cockpit and in the cabin, to contain a fire no one on board could simply walk away from.
Laptop’s Owner Threw the Burning Device Into the Aisle
According to Irgens’ account to CBS News, the laptop’s owner placed the burning device in the aisle as other passengers moved in to help however they could. Flight attendants then stepped in with the tool designed for exactly this scenario. Crew members smothered the flames using a thermal containment bag, a device built specifically to isolate a burning lithium battery from everything around it.
Pilot Estimated Four to Five Passengers May Have Been Burned
Even as the fire was being contained, the scope of the danger was still coming into focus. Audio obtained by CBS News captured the pilot telling controllers he believed as many as four to five passengers may have suffered burns during the incident. That real-time estimate, radioed in mid-crisis, was higher than what would ultimately be confirmed once the plane was safely on the ground.
Flight 2398 Lands Safely at DFW, Taxis to Gate on Its Own Power
The Airbus A321 landed safely at DFW at about 6:55 p.m. local time, according to the FAA. The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power while emergency crews stood by in line with standard procedure. DFW airport confirmed that emergency personnel met the flight and treated one patient, who was released at the scene rather than taken to a hospital.
American Airlines Thanks Crew for “Swift Response” as FAA Opens Probe
American Airlines confirmed the incident came down to smoke from a customer’s device during landing, praising its crew’s handling of the emergency. “We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device,” a company spokesperson said. The FAA has since opened a formal investigation into exactly what caused the battery to fail at cruising altitude.
FAA Has Logged Nearly 100 Lithium Battery Incidents in a Single Year
This wasn’t an isolated scare. Lithium batteries can overheat through “thermal runaway,” a chain reaction the FAA says can strike without warning if a battery is damaged, overcharged, exposed to water or simply defective. The agency verified a record 89 such incidents in 2024 alone, and 2025 was already tracking dozens more before this latest scare aboard Flight 2398.
Airlines Race to Restrict Portable Chargers After String of Battery Fires
The Flight 2398 incident lands amid a broader industry reckoning. Delta, United, American and other carriers have all logged battery incidents in 2026 and moved to restrict how passengers store and use portable chargers in flight. For the 133 people who landed safely in Dallas, the episode is a reminder that a device charging quietly in a bag can become a mid-air emergency in minutes.
