Lithium batteries involved in air crash?

The FAA on the crash of a US cargo plane in the United Arab Emirates last month: "We are aware, however, that the plane's cargo did include large quantities of lithium batteries and believe it prudent to advise operators of that fact."

In a safety alert for operators, the agency said the batteries are "highly flammable and capable of ignition" when they are exposed to high temperatures and existing shipping containers are not capable of resisting a lithium fire.

"In a fire situation, the air temperature in a cargo compartment fire may be above the auto-ignition temperature of lithium," it said.

"For this reason, batteries that are not involved in an initial fire may ignite and propagate, thus creating the risk of a catastrophic event."