Air Busan Flight 391
Airbus A321-231 · Ground fire due to fault of a portable battery bank in an overhead compartment
From Gimhae International Airport (PUS) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 0 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 176
- Survivors
- 176
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 3
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Airbus A321-231
- Flight
- BX391
- Aircraft type
- Airbus A321
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- HL7763
- Operator
- Air Busan
- Onboard fatalities
- 0
- Route
- From Gimhae International Airport (PUS)To Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
Air Busan Flight 391 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Air Busan from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, to Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong. On 28 January 2025, the Airbus A321 caught fire while preparing to taxi for takeoff. The fire resulted in 3 injuries and the evacuation of all 176 occupants on board the aircraft, which was destroyed by the flames and deemed a total loss.
Accident
The aircraft was about to taxi following a 20-minute delay when a fire broke out at the rear tail section at around 22:26 KST and spread through the empennage and nearly half of its fuselage. Air Busan said that the fire was spotted by a crew member on an overhead compartment near the rear left side of the cabin. Some passengers said the fire broke following a 'crackling' sound. Another passenger said the crew failed to order the evacuation of passengers near the source of the fire and told them to remain seated while they initially tried to put out the flames using a fire extinguisher, by which time embers had already spread to other parts of the aircraft. Other passengers also accused the airline of not having 'a proper protocol or manual in place', as airline officials only told them to go home or to the nearest hotel without other instructions.
The airline said that the crew had no time to make an official announcement to the passengers regarding the fire, but said that it had followed all appropriate procedures, adding that the captain immediately shut down the aircraft's hydraulic and fuel systems to prevent secondary damage after being informed by the crew about the fire. Air Busan also said that its crew had prevented a passenger from opening the affected overhead compartment to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, saying that it would have fed more oxygen to the fire and cause it to intensify.
All 176 people on board evacuated safely using inflatable slides, including one that was opened by a passenger. Seven minor injuries were reported from the fire; four crew members experienced chest discomfort due to smoke inhalation, while three elderly passengers experienced pain in their backs and coccyx. The fire generated holes along the length of the fuselage roof. Firefighters arrived at the scene at 22:34 KST. The fire was put out at 23:31 KST before it could reach the aircraft's wings, which carried 35,000 pounds (approximately 15,876 kg) of fuel.
The fire was the first significant safety event involving Air Busan since 2013.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
Acting president and prime minister Choi Sang-mok ordered a thorough investigation into the accident. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) deployed officials to the site and established an emergency response team. The flight data recorders were recovered following the fire, while a team from the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety was also sent to investigate the incident on account of the origins of the aircraft's manufacturer. Authorities declared that the removal of the aircraft's fuel was not necessary for investigators to search the aircraft following safety checks. A joint investigation by the ministry and the bureau into the fire began on 3 February, with police and the National Forensic Service also taking samples from inside the aircraft and with only 12 people allowed inside the fuselage due to safety concerns.
On 7 February, police raided Gimhae International Airport as part of efforts to secure evidence, particularly footage from surveillance cameras taken at the time of the fire.
Amid suspicions that the fire was caused by a battery that had been placed inside a carry-on bag in the overhead compartment, the South Korean government was reported to be reviewing procedures on the handling of batteries inside aircraft. On 13 February 2025, the MLIT announced a ban on South Korean airlines from storing portable battery banks and e-cigarettes in overhead storage compartments beginning on 1 March. It also barred passengers from charging power banks or electronic cigarettes using USB ports installed on airplane seats and limited the maximum number of power banks allowed to be carried by a passenger to five. Taiwan's EVA Air prohibited the use of portable chargers on all its flights, starting from the same date as the South Korean ban.
The preliminary report was released on 27 February and found that the fire broke out ten minutes after air traffic controllers ordered the aircraft's takeoff to be delayed, the captain instructing everyone on board to be evacuated one minute after the fire was detected. On 14 March, authorities said that the fire was likely caused by insulation breaking down inside a power bank battery stored in an overhead luggage compartment.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Air Busan Flight 391” (revision 1361072193, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: Air Busan Flight 391
- Article
- Air Busan Flight 391
- Revision
- 1361072193 · 2026-06-25 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q131930345
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "Air Busan Flight 391" (page 79040507, revision 1361072193)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- airline flight number in the infobox
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.