Delta Jet Dump Fuel on Los Angeles School Playground During Emergency
(Photo : Twitter)
Screenshot from: AJ+ Official Twitter Account

A Delta jet on its way to Los Angeles Airport for emergency landing has dumped fuel on the school playground of Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy on Tuesday, causing skin and eye irritation to at least 44 students and staff, according to an article by Los Angeles Times.

Fire engines, hazardous materials trucks and ambulances, responded immediately to the scene. According to Los Angeles Fire Department, none of the injuries were considered serious to require transport to a hospital.

In addition, there were others at nearby schools Tweedy, Graham, San Gabriel and Jordan High School who received medical care after complaining about experiencing the same symptoms.

Josue Burgos, Park Avenue Elementary School sixth grader, was one of the students participating in physical education outside when he was surprised to feel the sensation of rain. When he looked up, he saw a plane barreling down on his campus with dread.

"We came out and we were playing, and the airplane was outside and we thought it was rain, but then we knew it was throwing gas on us, and everybody started to run," Josue said. "We went to the auditorium and we knew what happened. We went back to class. We stayed for one hour and then we went home."

Josue said fuel landed on his sweater, shirt and shorts, and the odor was immediately noticeable.

"Yeah, it smelled bad," he said. "It wasn't water."

Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Sky Cornell told KTLA-TV at Park Avenue Elementary, "Everyone is going through decon," referring to decontamination. "We do have constant monitoring going on right now."

According to Delta spokesperson Adrian Gee, Delta Flight 89, a Boeing 777, took off from LAX with 149 passengers on board and was en route to Shanghai when it experienced an engine issue, prompting the aircraft to turn around and head back to the L.A. airport.

"The aircraft landed safely after an emergency fuel release to reduce landing weight," said Gee.

The spokesperson added that a fuel dump is normal procedure before emergency landings shortly after takeoffs in order to reduce the aircraft's weight.

Delta has been coordinating with officials about the reported injuries caused by the fuel dumping.

Ross Aimer, the chief executive officer of Aero Consulting Experts, said fuel dumping is very rare and is only used in case of emergencies or if pilots have to reach a safe landing weight.

"Most pilots choose not to dump fuel unless the emergency really dictates it," Aimer said.

The non-functioning landing gear would have been the reason the pilot experienced difficulty controlling the plane.

According to Los Angeles Times, when pilots dump fuel, they typically try to do it at above 10,000 feet and over water away from populated areas, but ideally it should be dumped when the plane reaches a higher altitude because fuel turns into mist when ejected.

Aimer said that without clear knowledge what Flight 89's emergency was, the pilot may have been in the final stage of dumping fuel as the plane was heading toward the airport. He concluded the pilot could have made an error.

The Federal Aviation Administration is already investigating the matter.

Los Angeles Airport executives said they, too, are monitoring the situation.

"We are concerned about impacts on the ground from the fuel release, and are in close communication with Delta and first responders as their investigations continue," Los Angeles Airport said in a statement.