Apple iPhone 'self-combustion' on flight sparks probe

An iPhone that started spewing smoke and glowing red on an airplane in Australia has been submitted for analysis by transportation safety authorities.

The phone began "emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow" on a flight from Lismore, near Brisbane, that had just landed in Sydney on Friday, reported the Regional Express airline in a news release.

The airline described the incident as a "mobile phone self-combustion."

A flight attendant managed to extinguish the red glow successfully, and no one was hurt, the airline said.

In a photo released by the airline, the phone appears cracked and discoloured following the incident.

The device has been handed over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis. The incident was reported to both the ATSB and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for investigation.

There have been no other similar incidents involving iPhones.

However, in 2008, reports of overheated iPod Nano music players that scorched nearby paper and straw mats prompted investigations by Japanese authorities.

In 2006, the airline Virgin Atlantic banned the use of battery-powered Apple and Dell laptops after the companies recalled millions of the batteries. At that time, Apple had received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two in which customers suffered minor burns.