A struggling plane dumps fuel over a school near Los Angeles

They were twenty children and eleven adults in the courtyard of the Cudahuy elementary school, 25 kilometers from Los Angeles airport when a Boeing 777 dropped its fuel on Tuesday, January 14. En route to Shanghai, flight Delta 89 "suffered engine problems" shortly after takeoff. Forced to return to the Los Angeles airport, the plane had to first relieve itself "as provided for in the procedure" in the event of an emergency landing.

But the fuel fell on this school. The children and their caregivers, in the yard at the time, "may have been sprayed with fuel or inhaled fumes," the Los Angeles school district wrote in a statement. They also complained of skin irritation or respiratory discomfort. But they could be treated on the spot by the emergency services and "no hospitalization was necessary," said the firefighters.

The fuel, dropped "relatively low," according to firefighters, also fell on other schools in southern Los Angeles, apparently with no significant impact on the health of students or staff.

UPDATE ***
All PTs below evaluated by FF and released w / minor inj-denying xport to hosp.
Park Ave Elem #Cudahy
31 patients (20 children & 11 adults) |
Tweedy Elem #SouthGate
6 patients |
Graham Elem #FlorenceGraham
1 adult patient |
San Gabriel Elementary #SouthGate 6 patients

The American agency responsible for controlling civil aviation, the FAA, announced on Twitter that it has opened an investigation, recalling that "there are specific procedures concerning the dropping of fuel for aircraft departing from or arriving at all major American airports. "

These procedures require that the fuel be dropped over well-identified uninhabited areas, usually at high altitudes so that the fuel vaporizes and disperses before touching the ground.

#FAA Statement: Incident involving @Delta Air Lines flight 89 that was returning to @flyLAXairport. pic.twitter.com/ayaxYDNOaQ

With AFP

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