Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!pyrdc!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway
From: wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil (Will Martin)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Cellular Telephone Causes Airline Fire Alarm
Message-ID: 
Date: 16 Aug 89 14:12:10 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 303, message 10 of 12

This was on Risks -- thought it was worth getting into Telecom:

>Date: Tue, 15 Aug 89 08:17:31 -0400
>From: dave davis 
>Subject: Cellular Telephone Causes Airliner Fire Alarm

A morning radio news report here in Washington, DC reported that a commercial
airline crew noted a fire alarm signal from a cargo hold in mid-flight.  Upon
returning to their originating airport, the cargo hold was examined carefully,
and no evidence of fire was found.  Apparently, a cellular telephone in a
passenger's luggage had received an incoming call, that activated the smoke (I
assume) detector via RF interference.

This occurrence shows why we have systems engineers.  That is, someone who must
consider not only electromagnetic compatibility between system components, but
also with other systems in the same operating environment.  As a result of this
event, the aircraft companies may have to redesign a lot of sensors.

Dave Davis, MITRE Corp., McLean, VA
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