iPhone 4/4S 'self combusts' in airliner inferno

Jesus mobe 'glowed red', belched smoke

An iPhone caused a small emergency in an Australian airplane after it inexplicably started to glow red and emit "significant amounts of dense smoke" as the craft touched down in Sydney airport.

A flight attendant extinguished the phone immediately, reported the Regional Express Airline news service, and no passengers or crew were harmed.

The phone looks worse for wear though. A photo of the iPhone in question shows an iPhone 4 or possibly a 4S with the black plastic clearly burnt in an area on the lower right hand side and the glass shattered over the burn mark. According to phone tear-downs, the iPhone 4's battery sits just below the case in the right-hand side of the device and given the heat involved it is likely to be something to do with the battery.

The release describes it as a "self-combustion" but gave no further details.

It does seem to have happened before.

We have contacted Apple for a response, but as yet have heard nothing back. ®