Headphones explode on woman mid-flight

MELBOURNE, Australia (KTRK) -- It's a travelers nightmare. A woman on a flight from Beijing to Melbourne said her headphones exploded while she had them on.

The woman said she was listening to music using a pair of her battery-operated headphones. About two hours into her flight while she was sleeping, she said she heard an explosion.

"As I went to turn around, I felt burning on my face," she told the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. "I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.

She said she felt the burning and immediately took them off and threw them on the floor.

"They were sparking and had small amounts of fire," the woman said.

A flight attendant poured a bucket of water on the headphones to extinguish the fire. The battery and cover were melted and stuck to the floor of the plane.

The woman said there was a strong smell of melted plastic, burnt electronics and hair for the remainder of the flight.

"People were coughing and choking the entire way home," the woman said.

The batteries were likely the cause of the explosion, according to the ATSB.

The scary incident is a reminder about safety using battery-powered devices:

• Batteries should be kept in an approved stowage, unless in use
• Spare batteries must be in your carry-on baggage NOT checked baggage
• If a passenger's smart phone or other device has fallen into the seat gap, locate their device before moving powered seats
• If a passenger cannot locate their device, they should refrain from moving their seat and immediately contact a cabin crew member

There's no word on what brand of headphones she was using. No one else was injured on the flight.

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