The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a civil penalty of $170,000 against Mobile Sentrix, a company based in Manassas, Virginia. The agency alleges that the company violated hazardous materials regulations by offering undeclared and improperly packaged lithium-ion batteries for air shipment through FedEx.
According to the FAA, there were four separate incidents involving shipments from Mobile Sentrix between August and November 2024. On August 8, 2024, a package containing about twenty-five mobile phone lithium-ion batteries was found emitting smoke and smelled of burning. Upon inspection, it was discovered that a fire had occurred inside the package and three batteries had melted together. Additional shipments on September 17, September 26, and November 1 included approximately 3.6 kg, 11.5 kg, and 9 kg of lithium-ion batteries respectively.
The FAA stated that none of these shipments were properly classified, described, packaged, marked or labeled as required for air transportation.
"Mobile Sentrix asked to meet with the FAA to discuss the case."
The handling and transport of lithium-ion batteries are subject to strict federal regulations due to their potential fire risk during transit by air.
