Why Do Airplanes Dump Fuel?
When aircraft land, they must dump fuel before reaching the ground. While someone unfamiliar with this process may think this is wasteful, it is actually very efficient. Dumping fuel is a means of lowering the weight of the plane so that it endures less stress as it lands.
As airplane fuel can be heavy, weighing as much as six pounds per gallon, aircraft holding 5,000 gallons of fuel are adding about 30,000 pounds of weight. That being said, lowering the weight is the main reason airplanes dump fuel. It is important to note that aircraft do not just release the fuel mid-air during take-off or landing. Instead, they do so immediately before they land.
When an aircraft decides to dump fuel at altitude, the pilots must flick a switch in the cockpit which sets off a pump that pushes fuel out of under wing nozzles. The fuel is dispersed over a wide enough area, allowing the fuel particles to evaporate into a fine mist. By changing the fuel into a gaseous form and allowing it to fade into the gasses in the atmosphere, the fuel is less harmful to the environment.
In some cases, the aircraft may be too close to the ground and the fuel may stay in liquid form until it hits the ground. Typically, pilots will try to do it over land and away from populated areas or water. In fact, the FAA explicitly outlines that dumping cannot occur under 2,000 feet. If the aircraft is not high enough and needs to carry out an emergency dump, the results are not as hazardous as one may expect. Still, this is not recommended.
Take the case of the Delta 777 that was traveling to Shanghai from Los Angeles and dumped fuel over an elementary school in January of 2020. Forced to carry out an emergency landing just after take-off, the plane had to dump 15,000 gallons of fuel at the height of 2000 feet over a small suburb in a coastal city. Unfortunately, the fuel was dispersed over three schools. Affecting more than 50 people, all of which complained that their eyes were burning, their skin was itching, and were suffering from breathing problems, dumping fuel can have some major consequences.
Though this is not a common incident, dumping fuel over populated areas is rather dangerous. Additionally, not all airplanes have fuel dumping capabilities. For instance, narrow-bodied planes like the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 757 do not dump fuel before landing. Nonetheless, they can still land safely even if the aircraft is overweight. However, a lighter plane lands smoother and safer, making this the preferred way of landing.
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