the dangers posed by lithium ion batteries on full display in this faa test. batteries burning so hot the plane's fire suppression system is overwhelmed. battery cargo fires have already been blamed for this catastrophic fire on board a ups cargo fire in philadelphia and the loss of two cargo planes that killed their crews in dubai and off korea. now a top pilots' union is calling for a total ban on all battery shipments. >> we have no fire fighting equipment on board that can fight this fire. if it lights off, the only chance of a successful outcome that we have is to get the aircraft on the ground as soon as most u.s. passenger airlines already ban bulk shipments of batteries, nearly every cell phone, laptop, tablet and dvd player carried on a plane comes with lithium batteries that can overheat. already 100 cases of small fires on board passenger planes, some forced to make emergency landings. today the ntsb said the risk posed by lithium ion batteries is growing and immediate and called for new battery shipping regulations. >> we're looking for separation

today the ntsb said the risk posed by lithium ion batteries is growing and immediate. and called for new battery shipping regulations. >> we're looking for separation of lithium ion batteries from flammable materials, and looking to reduce the lithium ion battery within a distance inside the plane. >> reporter: proposing more stringent packaging, state of charge limits, and labeling. international aviation authorities could decide soon on tough new standards for shipping batteries, but there's no talk of banning the batteries we all carry onboard every day, in our laptops and our cell phones. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> now, to something you might not believe unless you saw it with your own eyes. so there it is. a station selling gas for just 99 cents a gallon. something a whole lot of folks thought they would never see again. while it won't happen everywhere, analysts say gas under $1 could be on the way in a lot more places. we get more from nbc's blake mccoy. >> reporter: lois has been driving school buses in elgin, illinois, for 26 years. >> good mornin

battery shipping regulations. >> we're looking for separation of lithium ion batteries from flammable materials, and we're also looking to reduce the amount of lithium ion battery. >> reporter: a shipment ban is stringent packaging. faa authorities could decide on tough new standards for shipping batteries. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> now to something you might not believe unless you saw it with your own eyes, there it is, a station selling gas for just 99 cents a gallon, something a whole lot of folks thought they would never see again, and while it won't happen everywhere analysts say gas under $1 could be on the way in a lot more places. we get more from nbc's blake mccoy. >> how are you. >> reporter: lois cooks has been driving school busses in elgin, illinois for 20 years. >> good morning. >> reporter: but this year her bus and the 353 others in this suburban chicago school district are actually saving money. cheap gas means transportation is coming in half a million dollars under budget, money that's being redirected to help fund all-day kindergarten. >> we're absolu

the are some new warnings about the very real fire danger to airplanes posed by lithium ion batteries found in just about every cell phone and laptop and often shipped as air cargo. they have already been linked to deadly crashes and now the faa, t t ntsb and the nation's main pilot union are all warning against shipping large quantities of these batteries and as nbc'sp tom costello reports some want them banned on passenger flights by lithium ion batteries on full display in this faa test. a bulk spment of batteries burning so hot the plane's fire suppression system is overwhelmed. battery cargo fires have already been blamed for this catastrophic fire on board a ups cargo fire in philadelphia and the loss of two cargo planes that killed their crews in due buy and off korea. now a top pilots' union is calling for a total ban on all battery shspments. >> we have no fire fighting equipment on board that can fight this fire. if it lights of course, the only chance of a successful outcome that we have is to get the aircraft on the ground as soon as possible. >> reporter: while most u.s.

. >> we're learning more about the faa's safety alert to the airlines about lithium ion batteries andpotential to spark fires. abc's david kerley covers aviation for us. >> reporter: this is the faa's own test of what can happen if a shipment of lithium ion batteries spontaneously ignites. these batteries can lead to "catastrophic aircraft loss," the faa is warning, and current fire suppression systems "cannot effectively control a lithium battery fire." they power our computers and tablets. and can overheat and ignite. think about the house fires and the hoverboard fires suspected of being started by batteries that we've seen recently. what if it happens in a cargo hold? and it apparently has. two 747s have crashed. the packages of batteries they carried suspected of contributing. that's why the national also out with a recommendation, that if batteries are carried, they are separate from other flammable materials, and the number of batteries be restricted. airline pilots want even more -- that the batteries be listed as hazardous. >> we cannot continue to lose these airplanes due to

the dangers posedy lithium i batteries on full display in this fest. a bulk shient of hoe plane'fire ppression system is overwhelmed. battery cao fires have alrdy been blamed for this catastrophicire on board a ups cargo fi in philadelphia and loss of twcargo anhat killed theirrews in dubai and off ko now a top pilo' union is cling for a total ban on all battery shipments. >> we have no fi fighting equipnt on board thatan fight thisire. if it lights off, the only chance oa successful outcome that we have is toet e acraft on the ground as soon as possible. >> reporter:hile airlines aeady ban lk shients of batteries, nearly every cell phone, laptop, tand dvd ayerarried on a ple comes with lithium batteries can overheat. ready 100 cases o small fireon board passenger ples, some ergency landings. today the ntsb said the risk ped b lithn batteries is growing and immediate and called r new battery >> we're lking for separation of lithium ion batteriefrom flammable materials, toeduce the amount of lithium ion ttyhi ceain disnc indehe apl >>te ip i . opsed, in

an urgent new warning about lithium batteries on planes. the risk they could cause a, quote, catastrophic fire. the stunning images the faa wants you to see. you're about to see what happened. abc's david kerley covers aviation for us. >> reporter: this is the faa's own test of what can happen if a shipment of lithium ion batteries spontaneously ignites. these batteries can lead to "catastrophic aircraft loss," the faa is warn, tonight, and current fire suppression systems "cannot effectively control a lithium battery fire." they power our computers and tablets. and can overheat and ignite. think about the house fires and hoverboard fires suspected to be caused by lithium batteries we've seen happening recently. two 747s have crashed, the packages of batteries they that's why the national transportation safety board is batteries are carried, they are separate from other flammable materials and the number of batteries be restricted. airline pilots want even more -- that the batteries be listed as hazardous. >> we cannot continue to lose thes

carriers don't allow the shipments of lithium batteries, but that's not true for all airlines, which is why the faa is calling on those carriers to study the risks of carrying this potentially dangerous cargo. david? >> david kerley at reagan national for us. david, thank you. >>> we turn now to a stunning medical error. a new mom who says she thought her newborn was being taken for a routine checkup. instead, she was taken into surgery, the doctor operating on the wrong newborn. abc's steve osunsami asking, how does this happen? >> hi there! >> reporter: doctors call what happened to this newborn baby in tennessee a "never event," something that should never happen. but this past december, after jennifer melton gave berth to her healthy son, she says the staff at university medical took baby nate away for what was supposed to be a physical. >> at this point, the nurse started to mention the procedure that had been performed on him. >> reporter: when they brought the baby back, they learned there was a terrible mistake. a doctor had performed a surgical procedure meant for a differen

they all contain lithium batteries.e federal aviation administration recently tested these batteries and found the potential risk for what it calls a catastrophic loss due to lithium battery fire or explosion. the government says current cargo fire suppression systems can't effectively control a lithium battery fire. the faa is asking for airlines to conduct safety risk assessments. a number of large commercial airlines have already decided not to carry rechargeable lithium ion batteries. back to you. >>> nbc's tom costello will have much more on this warning and the potential risk for passengers. it's coming up tonight on "nightly news" right after this broadcast. >>> this is the xfinity sports desk brought to you by xfinity, your home for the most live sports. >>> jason is here with sports. we said it loost night, we can y the cats. >> i don't want to jinx them but i can't see a situation where they don't win the stanley cup. they're that talented. >> whoa, dude. oh, no. >> i don't want to jinx them but -- >> that's l

the f-a-a says current fire suppression systems can't control a lithium battery fire. the batteries power our computers, tablets and can overheat and ignite. now, the f-a-a is worried about those batteries exploding while on planes. in fact, two 747's have crashed and it's suspected packages of lithium batteries contributed. sot: steve ganyard we cannot continue to lose these airplanes due to fires that are uncontained and will quickly bring an airplane down major u-s carriers don't accept shipments of lithium batteries. but, that's not true for all airlines which is why the faa study the risks of carrying the potentially flammable cargo. now to a consumer warning about credit card fees you don't even realize you're paying! american's waste a staggering 14 billion a year on fees flying under the radar. they're usually payments for subscriptions you're not even using. the most common are credit monitoring services and gyms. a newly released website ask trim dot com offers free services that can help cut these pesky costs for you. breaking right now...evangelist franklin

. >> reporter: the problems center around lithium ion batteries that power the device which can overheat especially if the wrong charger is use. the american vaporing association says when charged and used under proper conditions, vapor products pose no more of a fire risk than other products that use lithium ion phones and laptops. are a lot of customers asking you about this? >> yes, they are. >> reporter: at the vape source in l.a., they tell you not to carry the batteries in your pocket. >> it might touch the loose change or key and it will start to get hot. secure your battery case like this and then pretty much it's protected. >> reporter: advice to make sure that people can vape without the fireworks. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> when we come back, our interview from when astronaut scott kelly says he's >>> finally tonight, it's been an around-the-world over for astronaut scott kelly though he's never lost sight of home. it's been right outside the window on the international space station. after a year in orbit, testing the effects of prolonged space flight, his ride bac

the f-a-a says current fire suppression systems can't control a lithium battery fire. the batteries power our computers, tablets and can overheat and ignite. now, the f-a-a is worried about those batteries exploding while on planes. in fact, two 747's have crashed and it's suspected packages of lithium batteries contributed. sot: steve ganyard we cannot continue to lose these airplanes due to fires that are uncontained and will quickly bring an airplane down major u-s carriers don't accept shipments of lithium batteries. but, that's not true for all airlines which is why the faa is calling on those carriers to study the risks of carrying the potentially flammable cargo. now to a consumer warning about realize you're paying! american's waste a staggering 14 billion a year on fees flying under the radar. they're usually payments for subscriptions you're not even using. the most common are credit monitoring services and gyms. a newly released website ask trim dot com offers free services that can help cut these pesky costs for you. if you're looking to book a flight somew