A malfunctioning e-cigarette device forced an American Airlines Indianapolis bound flight to divert to Little Rock.
The MD-80 plane with 137 passengers and five crew members landed safely without incident at Clinton National Airport.
However passengers spoke of some ‘frantic’ moments as crew fought to extinguish a ‘smoking and sparking’ bag which caught fire in the business class section.
Four extinguishers were used on the smouldering bag, according to passengers interviewed by local media.
Passengers suffered a delay of several hours while a replacement jet was laid on by the airline.
The federal aviation administration is still investigating.
Under updated FAA rules, vaping devices are allowed on planes only in carry-on bags and may not be used or charged in-flight due to the fire risk.
