Samsung ‘Galaxy Note 7’ Replacement Explodes On A Plane, U.S. Regulators Investigating

Replacements for the incendiary “Galaxy Note 7” smartphones by Samsung have been shipped out already and were supposed to be safe to use. However, one flight was cancelled and its passengers were forced to disembark when one replacement unit of the phablet caught on fire as it was being powered down. Investigators were scrambled to look into the matter, but this incident does not bode well for Samsung.

During a routine boarding process on a Southwest flight in Louisville, KY, Brian Green was asked to turn off his “Note 7” for the duration of the flight. However, as soon as he did, he noticed smoke issuing for the device. His companion just had enough time to snap a picture of the phablet as it caught fire on the plane’s floor.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is now on top of the situation to find out exactly what happened, The Verge reports. In an emailed statement to the site from CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye himself, it would seem that nobody got hurt during the incident.

“CPSC is moving expeditiously to investigate this incident," the email read. "Thankfully, reports indicate that all of the passengers were able to make it off the plane without harm. Agency staff has already reached out to the FAA and Samsung to gather the facts about the incident."

Specifics are still scarce at the moment, but Green is claiming that the “Note 7” he brought was a replacement model, Droid-Life reports. According to him, he picked up the new phablet on September 21st from an AT&T store. This was about the same time that Samsung assured the replacements were coming in, which were supposed to be safe.

Indications that it was an actual replacement model were present as well, Green said. There was the green battery along with the black square symbol. Green even went so far as to check if the phone was included on the list of affected devices regarding the exploding batteries and it was not.

Samsung has yet to issue a statement pertaining to this latest development. However, considering that the incident happened aboard a major American airline while passengers were on board, the South Korean company’s reputation will likely suffer an even more devastating damage if they don’t act soon.