The United States has banned the troubled Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone from all flights within the country starting Oct. 15 at 1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT).

The smartphone was banned under an emergency order from the U.S. Department of Transportation after numerous reports of the devices catching fire on their own. The department's order and those from other agencies prevents owners from carrying on the Note 7or stowing them in checked baggage during flights.

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The department warned that passengers who stowed their phones in checked luggage raised the risk of "a catastrophic incident." It said the phones will be confiscated from passengers attempting to take them onboard, while those found with the Note 7 on a plane might face fines.

"Anyone violating the ban may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines," said the department.

"We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

"We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the Note 7's battery "can overheat and catch fire, posing serious fire and burn hazard to consumers."

On Oct. 5, a replacement Note 7 that wasn't powered on caught fire on a Southwest Flight from Louisville to Baltimore. The flight, which was about to take off, was safely evacuated while still at the gate.

What was troubling about this incident was that the Note 7 that caught fire was a replacement phone its owner had traded in after stories of Note 7 igniting on their own broke in early September.

This week, Samsung also announced an expansion of the U.S. recall of the fire-prone Note 7. It said it had received 1.9 million Note 7 phones during the recall, including 1 million Galaxy Note 7s on Sept. 15.

Samsung announced its first formal U.S. recall Sept. 15 following numerous reports of the Note 7 catching fire, either while being charged or not in use.

Samsung exchanged the affected phones for a new revision, which had batteries sourced from a different supplier. In early October, however, reports emerged of incidents where these replacement phones also caught on fire.

In response to the new incidents, Samsung on Oct. 10 announced it would once again suspend sales of the Note 7 and recall all devices worldwide. The next day, Samsung announced it would permanently discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 and stop its production. 

TagsSamsung Galaxy Note 7, United States, airline flights, banned, U.S. Department of Transportation