Boeing 737-824 incident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, December 16, 2006
On December 16, 2006, a Boeing 737-824, registered N24202, suffered minor damage in an incident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (Colorado Springs Municipal airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person had minor injuries; 159 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A short circuit in the primary (non-rechargeable) battery, most likely due to it being recharged. This internal short led to thermal runaway, battery failure, and an explosion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2006
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · Colorado Springs Municipal · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 159 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-824 · all 737-824s on the register
- Registration
- N24202 · registry record · serial 30429
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The passenger was wearing an Ecoquest Fresh Air Buddy Personal Air Purifier around his neck. According to the manufacturer, it "generates an intense electrostatic ion wind that charges floating particles in the 'breathing zone.' The particles are substantially repelled away from the wearer, creating an almost particle-free 'exclusion zone' for toxic allergens, smoke, dust, viruses, and bacteria. Perfumes and odors can also be minimized by the ion particle-charging-effect." The passenger was observed to be holding a Sprint Trio 700 camera phone up to the window, sometimes talking into it, but he claimed he was only taking photographs. As he held his telephone to the window, there was a noise that sounded "like a fuse." There was a flash and a loud bang, and smoke emanated from the device. The passenger yelled and flung the air purifier from around his neck because it had started to burn him. It exploded into a ball of flames "about the size of volleyball" and fell between the seat cushions, starting a fire. Passengers poured water and other liquids on the smoldering cushions, and a flight attendant used a Halon fire extinguisher to put the fire out. The battery was never recovered. NTSB's fire and explosion expert examined the device. Her report stated that the air purifier originally came with a 3.6V CR123A non-rechargeable lithium primary battery, but a kit containing a charger and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery was available for purchase. The battery compartment cover was melted and deformed, and had two areas of metal splatter. Analysis of this splatter revealed the presence of manganese. Manganese dioxide is a component in primary (non-rechargeable) lithium batteries. The report noted that a short circuit is the most common cause of battery fires, and that charging a non-rechargeable battery could cause an internal short that could lead to thermal runaway, battery failure, and possibly an explosion.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 7,238 in this make and model; 246 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 10,300 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,958 hours in all; 807 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 8,345 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,564 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Seats: 155
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm International CFM56-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm International CFM56-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 9:48 pm
- Destination: PDX Portland OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from COS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 153 |
Other NTSB records under N24202 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN07IA037.