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Checked airline luggage with an e-cigarette led to smoke in plane’s cargo section (KITV News, reporter Ann Sterling)

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There was a scare in the air for 128 passengers aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight when a light indicated there was smoke in the cargo area. The plane was on the way to Maui from Honolulu.

It made a safe landing on Maui yesterday. A spokesperson for the airline says when firefighters checked the cargo area, two bags appeared to be damaged by an e-cigarette in a passenger’s checked luggage.

According to the Department of Transportation, using an e-cigarette on a plane is prohibited, as is putting an e-cigarette in checked baggage due to the potential for the battery exploding and causing a fire on-board. Any e-cigarette brought onto a plane must be in the off-position and brought as carry-on in the main cabin of the plane.

Read the KITV News story .