Note7 owner says smoking phone was a replacement from Samsung
Starting Saturday, owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 can't take the device on any airline flight.
October 5, 2016 at 9:36 PM EDT - Updated July 10 at 9:35 AM
A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caught fire on a Southwest Airlines plane at Louisville International Airport on Wednesday. (Source: Brian Green, phone owner)
Green received an email from Samsung saying his Note 7 was cleared for use. (Source: Brian Green)
Brian Green talked to WAVE 3 News about what happened on board a Southwest Airlines flight when his phone caught fire. (Source: WAVE 3 News)
The box shows a black square with serial and IMEI number information, which is supposed to indicate it was a known good phone. (Source: Brian Green)
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Southwest Airlines flight 994, destined for Baltimore, never made it off the tarmac at the Louisville International Airport on Wednesday. The plane was grounded when a cell phone caught fire and filled part of the cabin with smoke.
The owner of the phone, Brian Green of New Albany, said he was very well aware of the potential dangers of the Samsung Galaxy Note7. He said he did everything the company asked him to do.
"You just never think those things are going to happen to you," Green said.
Green said he had just boarded when flight attendants gave specific instructions for certain Samsung cell phone owners.
"They asked everyone with a Note7 to power down their phones," he said.
Green said he did just that.
"Within a few seconds I heard a pop, similar to a zip lock bag popping open," Green said. "I kind of looked around to see what was going on and I had smoke just billowing out of my clothes."
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Worried it may explode, Green didn't know what else to do, so he threw it on the floor of the plane.
"It was electronic smoke, it was that brown, green-gray, real ugly stuff. But it was pretty thick coming out of the device," Green said.
Green said he'd had this phone for only two weeks after he turned in his previous Note7, as urged to do so by Samsung. He got a loner phone and then upgraded to the newest model.
"It had a green battery indicator, which was supposed to say this was a replaced or known good phone," Green said. "On the box, there was a black square with serial and IMEI number information, which is supposed to indicate it was a known good phone. I did everything I could. I even looked at the IMEI number at home real quick and it said, 'Great news you're in luck, you're not on the recall list."
Green has owned Samsung cell phones for almost five years. "I loved that phone. I will say that. It had a lot of nice features on it."
Now he's not sure if he will get another one, not ever wanting to go through this again.
"All indications said I've had one of the replaced phones and it still has its issues," Green explained.
Green did reach out to Samsung, but said he hasn't heard back. In the meantime, he switched to another brand of cell phone and caught a different flight to Baltimore.
Arson investigators held on to the Samsung phone as evidence.
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