My brother has been building a new plane and this past weekend I was able to help him out a little. We were going to install all the electronics, but we decided we'd test everything before putting it into the plane...I'm sure glad we did too. My brother plugged the battery into the receiver and immediately it began to smoke. He unplugged the battery and dropped it into an *empty* ammunition box we keep nearby. The pack's plastic covering caught on fire a few seconds later and the room filled with smoke and really healthy fumes.

My question to you guys is: has this ever happened to you before? And if it did, were you able to get your pack/receiver replaced (I purchased them from ServoCity). I mention a new receiver because one of the contacts in the receiver was broken off (either in the haste to get it out of his hands or by the extreme heat).

Also, any suggestions on how to avoid this in the future? Is there an easy check one can do to a receiver to make sure it's in operating order before installing a battery pack? Thanks for any help.