The Scary Reason You Should Never Retrieve Your Phone If It Drops Between Airplane Seats—And What to Do Instead

A couple of years ago, on an international flight, I decided to treat myself by using frequent-flyer miles to upgrade from cramped coach to a cushy business-class seat. The move felt like a major win: more space, better food and a comfortable seat loaded with all the bells and whistles for my long-haul trip. With the push of a button, I could adjust everything from the reclining back to the footrest.

I was sitting pretty and settling in nicely when things took an ugly turn. During a patch of turbulence mid-flight, my phone slipped off the wide armrest and disappeared into the seat. I tried to reach down to grab it but cringed when my fingers brushed against all the metal gears and moving parts I couldn’t see. The thought of getting my fingers mangled made me yank my hand back really fast.

As unsettling as that was, there’s an even more important reason to never go fishing for a lost phone, laptop or other electronic device that has been lost in a seat during a flight. Hint: It poses a threat to everyone on the plane—and has actually forced multiple flights to divert and make emergency landings.

I spoke with two experts to find out exactly what to do if this happens to you. Read on to learn why following the right steps could help prevent a serious safety risk.

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What’s so scary about dropping a phone between airplane seats?

Any device with a lithium-ion battery (such as a cellphone, laptop, tablet, gaming system or even an electric toothbrush) that falls into a plane seat can be damaged in the seat’s internal mechanisms. If that happens, the battery could overheat and ignite. The worst-case scenario: There’s a fire midflight.

Wait, how does a battery catch fire?

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It has to do with a cycle of ever-increasing heat. Paul Christensen, a professor of electrochemistry and a globally recognized expert in lithium-battery safety, explains that if a battery is crushed, punctured or otherwise compromised, it can increase the probability of a chain reaction known as thermal runaway.

An overheating battery can set off “a number of different chemical reactions that are highly exothermic and generate very large quantities of gas,” he says. As heat builds, he explains, the process accelerates, producing even more heat and more gas in a dangerous feedback loop.

Translation: The damaged battery gets hot. That heat releases energy, which increases heat, which releases energy and increases heat … on a loop. “Temperatures rise, and reactions become self-sustaining,” says Christensen. “At some point, the battery could ignite.”

That’s a potentially catastrophic event on an aircraft. Christensen adds that a failing battery that is ablaze has flames that rocket from the device.

This potential disaster is why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns travelers to keep all spare lithium batteries and portable chargers in carry-on baggage. The FAA allows only certain lithium-ion-powered devices in checked baggage—and only if they are completely powered off, protected from damage and unable to accidentally activate.

Have these batteries ever caused airplane fires before?

Incidents involving lithium-ion batteries on planes are not rare, especially because so many of the devices we use daily require the power source. On March 25, 2026, a passenger’s lithium-ion battery began to smoke on a United Express flight operated by Mesa Airlines bound for Houston, prompting pilots to declare an emergency and divert to San Antonio.

Just a month earlier, on Feb. 22, a cellphone and power bank overheated and ignited aboard an Alaska Airlines flight en route from Wichita to Seattle, filling the cabin with smoke and burning a passenger. The plane safely returned to Wichita.

What should you do if your phone or laptop falls between airplane seats?

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If your phone, laptop or other device containing a lithium-ion battery falls into an airplane seat, don’t force it out. Instead, notify a flight attendant for help right away. Crew members are well-versed in the peculiarities of different seat designs and know how to safely access tight spaces.

It’s just as important to alert the crew if a device shows signs of trouble. “Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium-ion battery fires in the cabin,” the FAA notes. “Passengers should notify the flight crew immediately if their lithium-ion battery or portable electronic device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.”

Flight attendants often handle these precarious situations by placing the compromised item into specialized thermal containment bags, which happened on a recent Delta flight from Los Angeles to New Orleans when a passenger’s wheelchair lithium-ion battery began to overheat.

As for my phone? When I dropped it into the seat, I flagged down help. A crew member was able to remove part of the seat structure to retrieve my device without risk. At the time, I had no idea that asking a flight attendant to help get my phone was exactly the right move—and for a far more serious reason than I realized.

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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Paul Christensen, professor of electrochemistry at Newcastle University and senior advisor to the U.K. National Fire Chiefs Council; email interview, March 2026
• Federal Aviation Administration: “Airline Passengers and Batteries”
• Department of Transportation: “Lithium Battery Air Incidents”
• Fox 26: “Houston-Bound Flight Diverted to San Antonio After Battery Starts Smoking”
• KOMO News: “Alaska Airlines Flight Returns to Wichita After Passenger’s Phone, Power Bank Overheat”