An emergency landing by a Delta Airlines Boeing 777 is now the object of a formal investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, after the pilots opened the valves and dumped fuel over Los Angeles on the way to the airport.
The incident happened on Monday, 25 minutes after the plane had taken off from LAX, destination Shanghai, China. CBS Los Angeles reports that the pilots received a notification about a possible compressor stall affecting one of the engines shortly after takeoff.
Once over the Pacific, the pilots radioed control and asked for permission to make an emergency landing. A plane bound for a 13-hour flight has enough fuel on board to make that flight, but its weight is over the safety weight limit for landing.
Since that fuel would normally be burned by the time the plane has to land, in this particular instance, the pilots decided to dump it in order to make a safe landing. Fuel dumping ahead of emergency landing is standard procedure, but it’s not exactly a common occurrence. Dumping fuel over populated areas is unheard of.
And this is exactly what happened here. As the plane made its way back to LAX, it went over Los Angeles, including an area with 6 schools. The fuel dump affected children at one of them – about 60 people in total, children and adults, as per CBS.
The fuel-dumping procedure says it must occur over unpopulated areas, at altitudes of at least 5,000 feet so the fuel can disperse before it reaches the ground. This plane was flying at a little over 2,000 feet, so everyone under it felt like it was “raining.” With gasoline.
Luckily, no one was seriously injured or required hospitalization but, understandably, the FAA has questions.
“There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major U.S. airport,” the Administration says in a statement. “These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas, typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground.”
Ross Aimer, chief executive of Aero Consulting Experts, tells the LA Times that fuel dumping, while standard procedure, is rare. “I don’t remember anyone dumping fuel over population,” he adds.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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