Date: 202102
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Hazardous Material Violation; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Pre-flight; Routine Inspection
Result: General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: During the boarding of [Aircraft X] ZZZ - ZZZ1; I noticed a message on [Software] from the gate agent to station operations to inform the ramp personnel that there was a 'motorized wheelchair' on the jet bridge to be loaded onto the aircraft. I made a note to make sure we were provided notification of the wheel chair and when it did not come through the automated weight and balance data I asked the ramp lead. He just told me that it was 'very light' so he scanned it as a normal bag. I asked him if it was electric and if it had a battery and he said he did not know. He did not understand why I needed to know so after explaining that it was Dangerous Goods and required notification; he went to check it. I decided to go down with him to the cargo bin to make sure he knew what we needed. When he went in the cargo bin there was not a belt loader available so I was not able to also get in; and it was surrounded by bags so I was not able to see the base of it myself. He looked for several minutes; then informed me that it was 'not electric' and had 'no battery or electric parts' at all. I clarified this with him multiple times; both while standing at the cargo bin and also over the headset in the cockpit. After the flight was complete; we saw the agents in ZZZ1 unload it and the passenger get on it. I asked her if it was motorized and she said that it was. I asked her what type of battery it had and she said it was lithium ion and it was removable. She also showed me exactly where the battery was and how it could be removed. She also said that someone; it was unclear who and whether or not it was a [Company] employee; told her not to 'give too much information' during her check in process or she might have trouble flying with it. She couldn't remember if she had told the agent if it was a lithium ion battery. Regardless; multiple employees should have been able to figure out along the chain that it was motorized somehow; which meant it had to be electric.The cause was the ramp's misunderstanding of our DG (Dangerous Goods) policies and not being able to identify DG loaded on the aircraft; as well as possibly the passenger not reporting it as DG during check in.This is now the second time I have had an undeclared lithium ion wheelchair carried in the cargo bin in the past year and a half; which is indicative that this may be a larger issue than just one single missed item. Also; given that the ramp lead had no idea that electric wheelchair batteries had to be declared; it is impossible to know how many other events have happened where we simply didn't see the passenger after the flight.




Synopsis: Air carrier Captain reported undocumented transport of Lithium Ion battery powered wheelchair.