That is an utterly grotesque design flaw. (And it seems to be pervasive in IFE systems, as inferred by the article.) The record of repair should have been a huge waving red flag that there were serious problems with the system, and in fact the entire design.

Any system that allows enough current for anything to heat up to the point of smoking or igniting is not properly fused or otherwise protected, batteries or not. We spend a lot of money each year sending people on courses on how to spot safety problems in both hardware and software (and our systems our used on ships, not planes.) That a system of this complexity could be installed on a large passenger aircraft without have undergone that same kind of analysis is almost beyond belief.

Sounds like the real reason to keep your cel phone turned off while in flight is to protect the phone, not the plane.


[This message has been edited by Ken hAAmer (edited 03-27-2003).]