Smoking e-cigarette in checked bag forces Hawaiian Airlines flight to make emergency landing
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Hawaiian Airlines says an e-cigarette illegally put in a checked bag may have caused smoke and an emergency landing.
The cargo-smoke indicator in the cockpit lit up during a flight from Honolulu to Maui on Tuesday, an airline spokesman said Friday.
Alex Da Silva said the captain turned on the plane's fire-suppression system, declared an emergency and landed quickly at the Maui Airport.
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After the plane landed, fire crews found two pieces of checked luggage that seemed to have fire damage caused by an e-cigarette in one of the bags, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration bans electronic cigarettes from checked luggage, although they are allowed in carry-on bags.
Da Silva said that Maui police were investigating. Police did not immediately answer requests for comment.