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A single personal electronic device with a lithium battery that overheats and catches fire in the cargo hold could potentially down a commercial airliner. That’s what the US Federal Aviation Administration found in its latest research. Regulators had originally thought that the fire suppressant systems in cargo holds would be able to extinguish flames if they were to arise from an overheated lithium-battery-operated device. However, the most recent study has shown that the systems don’t actually have the power to put out the flames caused by an overheated lithium battery, commonly found in laptops, cell phones and a wide range of other devices, when combined with other flammable substances, such as gas in an aerosol can or cosmetics. “That could then cause an issue that would compromise the aircraft,” said Duane Pfund, international program coordinator at the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The FAA forbids passengers from checking spare (uninstalled) lithium metal batteries, requiri