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Drone lithium battery safety: handling, fires and air travel

Last updated 2026-11-14 · Published by Certloom Learning · Sources

Lithium batteries can catch fire when they are short-circuited, charged improperly, heated to extreme temperatures, damaged in a crash, mishandled or defective, and AC 107-2A tells remote pilots to follow the manufacturer's handling instructions. On an airliner, FAA PackSafe says spare lithium batteries go in carry-on baggage only, with terminals protected and a 100 Wh limit per battery for most packs.

What does the FAA say causes drone battery fires?

AC 107-2A, Appendix B (B.5), states that lithium-based batteries are highly flammable and capable of ignition. A battery fire could cause an in-flight emergency by causing a loss of control of the aircraft. The listed causes are a short circuit, improper charging, heating to extreme temperatures, damage from a crash, mishandling, or a simple defect. The remote PIC should consider following the manufacturer's recommendations, when available, to help ensure safe battery handling and usage.

FAA PackSafe adds that all lithium ion batteries are capable of overheating and undergoing a process called thermal runaway, and that it can occur without warning as a result of damage, overheating, exposure to water, overcharging or improper packing. It can also occur on its own because of manufacturing defects.

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A; FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries.

What is thermal runaway?

PackSafe uses the term for the process where a lithium ion battery overheats and keeps heating itself. For a pilot the practical meaning is that a pack can go from a warm, slightly puffy battery to smoke and flame within moments, and the warning can be short or absent. That is why the FAA wording says "without warning" and why a single visible sign deserves attention.

The early signs that PackSafe tells passengers to report to cabin crew are a battery that is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning. For a drone pilot, a battery that has swollen or expanded belongs in the same category: stop using it. Common sense says to set it somewhere safe and open, away from people and anything flammable, until you can dispose of it through a proper battery recycling or hazardous waste channel. The FAA documents do not give a drone-specific disposal procedure, so follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries; FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A.

How should I handle, charge and store drone batteries?

The FAA does not publish a charging or storage procedure for drone packs; AC 107-2A points to the manufacturer. What it does say fits a few firm habits:

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A; 14 CFR 107.49 (eCFR); FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries.

What do heat and cold do to a battery?

Heat is covered by the FAA wording: heating to extreme temperatures is a listed cause of lithium battery fires. A closed car in summer sun is an easy way to get there, so keep spare packs out of a hot vehicle and out of direct sun on the tailgate.

Neither the study guide nor AC 107-2A gives a cold weather figure for batteries. Your manual is the place to look: check its operating temperature range, and treat a low charge level that drops quickly in cold air as a reason to land early. Weather effects on performance are also covered in the weather guide.

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A; FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries.

What if a battery catches fire in flight?

The study guide's emergency chapter uses a battery fire as its example. If during a flight the small UA experiences a battery fire, the remote pilot may need to climb above 400 feet AGL to maneuver to a safe landing area. In that case a report is needed only if the FAA asks for one. That follows 14 CFR 107.21, which lets the remote PIC deviate from any rule to the extent necessary to meet an in-flight emergency, and requires a written report on request.

Worked example

Choosing where to put the aircraft

Say a battery pack starts to smoke while the drone is over a parking lot at 300 ft AGL with a busy road to the east and an empty field to the west. The emergency permits the actions needed to protect people and property, so the pilot lands in the field, even if that takes a short climb above 400 ft AGL or crossing a boundary. The aim is a landing area away from people and property. Afterward, keep people back from the aircraft until the pack cools, and use the manufacturer's guidance. If the pack is burning and cannot be put out, treat it like any other fire and call emergency services, which is ordinary common sense rather than an FAA drone rule.

Not every incident must be reported to the FAA. 14 CFR 107.9 requires a report within 10 calendar days for serious injury, loss of consciousness, or property damage above $500. See emergencies and accident reporting.

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22); 14 CFR 107.21 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.9 (eCFR).

What should I do with a damaged or recalled pack?

Treat it as out of service. AC 107-2A lists crash damage and defects as causes of lithium battery fires, and FAA PackSafe says damaged or recalled batteries and devices that are likely to create sparks or generate a dangerous evolution of heat must not be carried aboard an aircraft, in carry-on or checked baggage, unless the battery has been removed or otherwise made safe. PackSafe points to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the manufacturer or the vendor for recall information. A good habit is to check your pack's label and the manufacturer's site for recalls once in a while, and to log which packs were in a crash so they do not go back into rotation by accident. Keep a note of each pack's age and any swelling you see, because the FAA's own examples treat an expanding battery as a warning sign.

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries; FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A.

Can I fly with drone batteries on an airliner?

FAA PackSafe is the source here, and it describes rules for lithium ion and lithium metal batteries carried by passengers:

QuestionWhat PackSafe says
Where do spare batteries go?Spare (uninstalled) lithium batteries, including power banks, must be in carry-on baggage only. If the carry-on is checked at the gate or planeside, remove them and keep them with you in the cabin.
Terminal protection?Terminals must be protected from short circuit (retail packaging, tape, a case or sleeve, or a snug plastic bag or pouch).
Size limit?Lithium ion batteries are limited to 100 Wh each. With airline approval, up to two spare larger batteries (101 to 160 Wh) are allowed per person. Lithium metal batteries are limited to 2 g of lithium content.
Damaged or recalled?Must not be carried aboard unless the damaged or recalled battery has been removed or otherwise made safe.
Overheating in the cabin?Notify the flight crew immediately if a lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.
Airline limits?Many airlines have stricter quantity and Wh limits. Check with the air carrier before traveling.

Worked example

Is my pack under 100 Wh?

PackSafe gives the formula: multiply the battery voltage by the amp hours. Say a pack is labelled 15.4 V and 5.0 Ah. 15.4 x 5.0 = 77 Wh, which is under the 100 Wh limit. A bigger pack at 15.4 V and 7.0 Ah is 107.8 Wh and falls in the 101 to 160 Wh range, so it needs airline approval and counts toward the two-battery limit. Newer packs often print the Wh figure on the label.

PackSafe also covers batteries installed in a device and separate rules for the installed case. Read the current page for your situation, because the FAA updates it, and check the airline's own policy. The regulation PackSafe cites is 49 CFR 175.10(a)(18).

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries.

What does this mean for the test and my briefing?

For related topics see preflight and maintenance, loading and performance and lost link and flyaway procedures.

Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A; 14 CFR 107.21 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.49 (eCFR).

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Sources

How this page was made: written by Certloom Learning from the sources above, with the rules checked against the current regulation text. Practice items are original questions from the app's reviewed bank. Spot an error? certloomlearning@gmail.com.