Another Study Says Planes, Cell Phones Don't Mix

Industry analysis points to 75 suspected cases of interference
By Tim Karan,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2011 4:00 PM CDT
Another Study Says Planes, Cell Phones Don't Mix
A new report says you might wanna pay attention to pilots' pleas to turn off your cellphone in the air.   (Shutterstock)

You might wanna wait until your plane lands before playing Angry Birds. According to a report by the International Air Transport Association, there were 75 in-flight incidents between 2003 and 2009 that pilots and crew think were linked to cell phones and PEDs, reports ABC News. That includes 26 cases in which the devices were suspected of interfering with flight controls such as autopilot and 17 involving navigation systems. The report emphasizes that it is not definitively blaming PEDs, however.

Experts say PEDs—especially iPads, iPhones, and BlackBerrys—emit signals that can disrupt sensitive electronic sensors in the passenger area. While some believe a PED signal isn't strong enough to disrupt a plane, a member of a federal advisory committee on the issue says, "It is when it goes in the right place at the right time." A previous story came to a similar conclusion. (More cellphones stories.)

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