JAL Flight 653 Cabin Fire During Approach to Taoyuan

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On June 6, 2009, Japan Airlines Flight 653, a Boeing 767-300ER with Japanese registration JA613J, departed Osaka, Japan, bound for Taoyuan International Airport. The aircraft was carrying two flight crew members, nine cabin crew members, and 33 passengers. During the approach phase to Taoyuan, a fire occurred in the rear cabin, prompting an emergency response by the cabin crew and a safe landing at the destination airport. ## Sequence of Events At 20:20:43 local time, a cabin crew member detected a burning smell in the rear cabin and discovered smoke and fire originating from a passenger seat. At this point, the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 1,900 feet. The purser reported the smoke to the flight deck at 20:21:18, and the crew began moving passengers away from the affected area. After discussion, the pilots decided to continue the approach. At 20:21:38, a cabin crew member directed another crew member to retrieve a fire extinguisher to suppress the fire. The flight crew informed the tower of the cabin smoke at 20:21:53, stating they would stop on the taxiway after landing, with the aircraft at an altitude of about 1,500 feet. A cabin announcement regarding the fire suppression was made at 20:22:00. The flight crew requested the cabin crew to return to their seats at 20:22:41 and declared an emergency to the tower at 20:22:59. The tower confirmed that airport fire trucks were en route to the standby point at 20:23:10. The aircraft landed safely at 20:24:16. ## Investigation Findings and Probable Cause Following the landing, an inspection of the affected seat revealed a charred lighter. The investigation determined that a blue-flame lighter, which had been left in the seat at an unknown time, was ignited by the seat's pitch actuator mechanism. Before the flight's descent, when a passenger adjusted the seatback to a vertical position, the lighter was compressed at a specific angle and fixed support point by a nut in the seat's pitch actuator mechanism. This action pressed the ignition device and held it, causing the lighter to ignite. The blue flame sprayed backward, burning through the seat cover from the inside out. Some of the flame was blocked by the seat cover and burned back onto the lighter itself, melting parts of its plastic material. This caused the remaining fuel (butane) in the lighter to ignite at once. The flame reached a height of approximately 1.5 meters and then quickly disappeared. No personnel were injured. ## Safety Recommendations and Regulatory Context The lighter involved in the fire complied with the regulations for personal carry-on items at the time. However, it was capable of igniting after a single continuous action compressed two of its operating devices. The fire did not sustain because of the limited amount of fuel and the absence of flammable materials in the environment. The International Air Transport Association's Dangerous Goods Regulations prohibited the carry-on of blue-flame or cigar lighters after January 1, 2010. The investigation also noted that current airport security procedures did not include individual ignition checks for carry-on lighters, making it difficult to identify blue-flame or cigar types. The Aviation Safety Council issued interim safety notices and recommendations to Japan Airlines, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, focusing on seat inspections, cabin crew training, and monitoring international regulatory changes regarding lighter restrictions.