Any kind of fire in an aircraft is extremely dangerous, and VisionSafe offers products that help mitigate smoke and fire issues in both flight decks and cabins. The company pioneered a way for pilots to be able to see through smoke with its Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS). And with lithium-ion battery-powered devices proliferating throughout the aircraft, VisionSafe is recommending the Highwater Innovations PlaneGard Lithium Battery Box for containment of a lithium-ion battery fire.

The EVAS looks deceptively simple, consisting of an inflatable bag with see-through windows that allow one of the pilots to view the instrument panel and see through the windshield in a smoke-filled flight deck. The bag inflates, powered by its own set of alkaline batteries, and a fan fills the bag with air and holds it firmly against the instrument panel and windshield. The pilot, wearing an oxygen mask, pushes his or her face against the clear window of the EVAS, which allows a clear view through the smoke-free bag.

How the EVAS works is easier to understand after watching a demonstration at the VisionSafe booth (763), where a dummy cockpit fills with smoke and a “pilot” sits inside and shows how the bag enables a clear view of the instrument panel and windshield. 

The EVAS is STC’d in a number of business aircraft and airliners and is a factory option on jets such as the Gulfstream G450, G550, and G280 and standard on the G650. The G280 STC was issued last month. All of Dassault’s in-production Falcon jets are approved for the EVAS as well as out-of-production models such as the Falcon 50. More than 5,000 EVAS units have been sold, 60 percent for business aircraft, with 30 percent for airlines and 10 percent for government/military aircraft.

“Recent news and recommendations from the FAA have highlighted the importance for cockpit smoke protection to ensure the safety of pilots and passengers,” said VisionSafe vice president Jonathan Parker. “Since 1992, the FAA has recommended that aircraft are certified to a higher standard for pilot vision protection in smoke.”

Extinguishing Device Fires

For the demo, an old laptop powered by the ubiquitous 18650 lithium-ion batteries was set up with wires attached that would heat the batteries slowly to 300 degrees F. Although the laptops contain six of these battery cells, for the demo only two cells were installed.

The laptop was placed behind a Plexiglas barrier, and viewers were encouraged to wear face masks to mitigate toxic fumes emitted by the burning batteries.

It took about five minutes for the batteries to heat up enough to burn, and when they did, a jet of flame shot out of the laptop. This happened twice, once for each cell. The flame was at least two feet long.

PlaneGard’s George Brilmyer took the PlaneGard box and held it over the smoking laptop, then opened the box fully and lowered it onto the laptop and pushed the sides together to contain the fiery debris. He wore heat-resistant gloves and a pair of protective goggles, which are included with the PlaneGard box, along with a grabber device that can be used to flip a burning device onto a flat surface where it is in position to be contained with the box.

Once contained, the smoke remained in the box and didn’t leak out. The PlaneGard box includes a port for adding water, which the FAA recommends for putting out lithium-ion battery fires, but Brilmyer said water isn’t necessary because the box fully contains any flames and smoke. The box is lined inside with heat-absorbing tile material.

Once the fire is contained, the flight can continue to its destination, and the PlaneGard box handed over to airport firefighters.

VisionSafe and PlaneGard don’t recommend using insulated bags to contain lithium-ion battery fires because of the risk of leakage of smoke and toxic fumes. During a second demonstration, the burning laptop was placed in one such bag, the type with a hook-and-loop seal. Smoke escaped from the bag during this demo. Of course, there are other bag systems with double containment that includes a sealed zipper, but that type of system wasn’t part of the demonstration.

The companies’ recommendation regarding bags has more to do with the safety of handling a burning device. The FAA has issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 09013) that addresses the handling issue, warning that “Transferring a burning appliance into a burn bag may be extremely hazardous.” Until all the cells in a device burn out, there is a possibility of a cell exploding or shooting flames, and this could injure a person trying to pick up the device to put it in a bag.

The SAFO still does recommend water for fighting lithium-ion battery fires: “Fighting a fire that contains either disposable or rechargeable lithium battery cells requires extinguishment of the fire and cooling of the remaining cells to stop the thermal runaway. Water is the most effective coolant.”

PlaneGard comes in three sizes, and prices start at $2,500.