iPhone 6 bursts into flames during flight prompting panic among passengers

Anna Crail said she thought the plane was 'going down' after her iPhone set on fire

A woman holds an iPhone 6 at an Apple launch event in 2014 (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A teenager's iPhone caused panic after bursting into flames during a flight to Hawaii.

The phone belonged to 19-year-old Anna Crail, who was flying from Bellingham Airport in Washington to Hawaii for her Spring Break.

She told local news station KOMO that she thought the plane was "going down" after "eight-inch flames" began spewing from her iPhone 6 while she watched a film.

In the panic she knocked her phone to the ground, where it shot under other passengers' seats, causing widespread panic on the plane.

Fortunately, attendants were able to put out the blaze, which began when the Alaska Airlines plane was flying over the ocean, 90 minutes away from its final destination.

Investigators said they were looking into the cause of the fire, and added no-one was injured.

Many American airlines have banned 'hoverboards' from being taken on their flights, due to the fire risks posed by their lithium-ion batteries, which are often of poor quality.

Batteries in smartphones are safer, smaller, and more easily noticed if they develop a problem, but experts recommend keeping devices on airplane mode while flying, to prevent them from overheating.

The Independent has contacted Apple for comment.