Lithium Battery Restrictions

[mygis-echobay1]

Hi People My name is Brian and I'm Involved with the Air Safety Aspect, as NTSB Investigator, an Air Traffic Controller and an Aviation Support Technician Supporting Pilots with "UPSETs" or problems in the Sky. 

One of the things I have continuously noticed and not much is being done about this but sellers are shipping Lithium Batteries Irresponsibly and Carelessly, I do want people to know that Sending these items in an improper manor is also criminal in the United States and in many countries elsewhere.

Lithium Ion Batteries have caused many problems in the past with the first real incident in 1991, but the flight that set the regulations in place was UPS Flight 6 on July 5, 2010 Captained By Andrew Lampe and Co-Piloted by Matthew Bell The flight was intended to go From Dubai, UAE To Cologne, Germany 120 miles north west of Dubai by Doha Bahrain the flight had its cargo hold catch on fire, attempting to suppress the fire the Crew Immediately decompressed the cabin to remove the oxygen from the cabin, and Place their Emergency Reserve Oxygen System Masks (EROS) The fire cut off the oxygen to Captain Lampe, EROS Mask and also attempted to get the backup mask behind him but couldn't reach it. The Captain was having a hard time breathing, and as a result Captain Lampe left the Captain's Seat attempting to get the backup Oxygen mask out of sheer desperation, or make with out any other choice. The fire was so intense that even with the oxygen sucked out of the cargo hold and the cabin, the fire continued to spread. Smoke made its way into the flight deck, obstructing the view of the pilots and ultimately the sole remaining pilot Matthew Bell. Keep in mind the tasks of flying a big plane like a 747 with only 2 pilots, imagine the thoughts running throw Matthew Bell's head while trying to fly a 747 by himself as his captain was incapacitated because he couldn't breathe. The smoke was extremely intense that Co-Pilot Bell was unable to see outside the Aircraft and even his own instrumentation in essence flying completely blind. Causing him to be unable to change his radio settings to talk to Emirates Control and Dubai International Airport, and was trapped on the frequency to Bahrain Control, which then Controller Alan Philips Used the Intermediary system better known as a relay to instruct UPS Flight 6 which Controllers from both Dubai and Emirates control where feeding to Philips by phone who had then relayed it to a total of 6 planes The Captain of Sky Dubai 1 a UAE Government plane was the last person to speak, he also relayed incorrect information to Matthew Bell before he crashed in Sharjah, UAE.

The investigation to UPS Flight 6 was led by multiple countries Including UAE, Bahrain, Germany, Australia and the United States, I was one of the investigators. It was discovered that a Lithium Ion battery specifically an 18650 battery was damaged during the take off roll, ignited and then over the course of just under and hour ignited 81,000 other lithium ion batteries and flammable items.

As a result the ICAO and the IATA has adopted regulations and some countries like the USA and the UK have now made it law. The regulations and the restriction are ever revolving. These rules were first put into place in September 2015 and have most recently been updated in January.

Shippers and buyers please be aware of these regulations and please report violators to eBay and the carrier and even to the FBI and DHS. It is a real problem. In the USA the largest plane flying with in the borders is a Boeing 767 and an Airbus A340 holding up to 370 passengers. every Lithium Ion is a potential bomb to an aircraft. Be aware you may be endangering that many lives if you ship these hazardous and dangerous good items improperly. The largest passenger plane holds 867 people which is the Airbus A380.

As a law abiding citizen and personally involved in this case being an investigator for 3 fatal crashes of planes involving Lithium Ion Batteries and knowing the crews and the families of those 3 flights, designing new technologies and test flying them myself as a result of the problem. Prevent further disasters and ship responsibly. I have yet to have an eBay order for a Lithium Ion Battery, which was shipped in accordance to regulations.

Here are some references for the regulations and packaging procedures. and also the story of UPS Flight 6, and a list of incidents from the FAA which had something to do with Lithium Batteries. Please ship safely. You may be endangering the lives of some one you love, know or care about.

LITHIUM ION BATTERY RESTRICTIONS
https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Documents/lithium-battery-update.pdf
https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/more_info/?hazmat=7
https://petapixel.com/2018/05/16/tsa-battery-restrictions-clearing-up-confusion-on-flying-with-lithi...
https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/27/18243310/battery-lithium-ion-cargo-ban-faa-department-of-transpor...

CARRIER PACKAGING REGULATIONS
https://www.ups.com/assets/resources/media/pack_ship_batteries.pdf
https://blog.stamps.com/2015/02/26/new-usps-mailing-standards-for-lithium-batteries/
http://www.fedex.com/downloads/shared/packagingtips/lithiumbatteryFlowChart.pdf
http://www.dhl-usa.com/en/express/shipping/shipping_advice/lithium_batteries.html#guides_materials

FLIGHT DISASTERS CAUSED BY LITHIUM BATTERIES
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ash/ash_programs/hazmat/aircarrier_info/me...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_6           

I have also included a link to a show called mayday and the episode entitled fatal delivery, which is an re-enactment of UPS Flight 6 based on evidence and witness reports.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=137687220169168

Once again please ship responsibly!