Aviation experts say the maneuver that doused at least 50 people, including 20 children, with jet fuel probably could have been avoided.
“The question investigators are going to ask is that if you’re going to dump fuel, why didn’t you advise air traffic control, and why didn’t you go where fuel dumping is approved, which would not be over a highly populated area,” Cox said. “If you had an on-board fire or something like that, it makes absolute sense to do that. But this was not that case.”
The engine malfunction was described as compressor stall, similar to a carburetor popping in a car with a backfire and loud bang, maybe even a small fire, but it's not a dire emergency, Aimer said. "It's not a big deal to land with heavy weight, and in this case it would have been fine because they had good weather along with a long and dry runway," he said."Most of us would have just landed heavy because the airplane could sustain with one engine."
A Delta flight spilled fuel on a Los Angeles school playground during an emergency landing on Jan. 14, 2020.Aimer said the airline and pilots could face punishment, including fines or being ordered back to flight school, in addition to potential lawsuits from victims. At least 20 children were treated for minor injuries after being exposed to the jet fuel, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which said more than 60 people from seven schools were treated.
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