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Plane dumps fuel on Los Angeles schools before emergency landing Plane dumps fuel on Los Angeles schools before emergency landing
(about 4 hours later)
Forty children and adults suffer minor irritation after incident as plane makes return to airportForty children and adults suffer minor irritation after incident as plane makes return to airport
Fuel dumped by an airliner making an emergency return on Tuesday to Los Angeles international airport due to an engine problem fell on to three schools, causing minor irritation to 40 children and adults, officials said. A mist of fuel dumped by an airliner with an engine problem as it made an emergency return to Los Angeles international airport fell on several schools Tuesday, causing minor skin and lung irritation to 56 children and adults, officials said.
The incident occurred around noon in the Cudahy area of south-eastern Los Angeles county, about 13 miles (21km) east of the airport. The fuel sprayed out of the plane in two lines and the strong-smelling vapor descended at midday in the city of Cudahy and nearby parts of Los Angeles county, about 13 miles (21km) east of the airport.
Sgt Rudy Perez, of the Los Angeles Unified school district police, said 28 students and adults were affected at Park Avenue elementary and 12 others at 93rd Street elementary, but none needed to be taken to hospitals. Jordan high was also affected but no one was treated there, he said. The vapor fell on five elementary schools, but all injuries were minor and no one was taken to hospitals the Los Angeles county fire department inspector Sky Cornell said. It didn’t force any evacuations.
Henry Narvaez, the Los Angeles county fire department inspector, said the fuel had dissipated by the time it reached the ground but the children and adults could smell it. “That’s a great sign,” Cornell said.
Narvaez said the patients complained of mild skin irritation and were treated with soap and water. All the fuel evaporated very quickly and nothing flammable remained in the air or on the ground, he said.
There were no evacuation orders for the immediate area. The school district said in a statement that paramedics were immediately called to treat anyone complaining of “skin irritation or breathing problems” and that its environmental health and safety office also responded. People were treated with soap and water, the fire inspector Henry Narvaez said.
Shortly after takeoff, Delta Air Lines flight 89 to Shanghai “experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return quickly to LAX. The aircraft landed safely after release of fuel, which was required as part of normal procedure to reach a safe landing weight,” the company said in a statement. The airline did not release details about the engine problem.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating.
“There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major US airport,” the FAA said 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.”
The FlightAware website’s flight track showed the jet took off over the ocean and made an immediate right turn toward land and circled back over Southern California to approach the airport from the east.
Delta said it was in touch with the airport and fire department and shared concerns regarding reported minor injuries to adults and children.
The Los Angeles unified school district said its Park Avenue Elementary campus in Cudahy and 93rd Street Elementary had direct impacts from the fuel.
Cornell said 31 children and adults were affected at Park Avenue, and 12 at 93rd Street. The rest of those affected were at other schools.
The school district said in a statement that paramedics were immediately called to treat anyone complaining of skin irritation or breathing problems and that its environmental health and safety office also responded.
Diego Martinez, a Park Avenue sixth-grader, said he and his classmates were outside for physical education class when they saw the airplane flying low overhead.Diego Martinez, a Park Avenue sixth-grader, said he and his classmates were outside for physical education class when they saw the airplane flying low overhead.
“It was very close,” he said. Shortly afterwards the air filled with the pungent odor of fuel. “It was very strong, the odor,” the 12-year-old said.“It was very close,” he said. Shortly afterwards the air filled with the pungent odor of fuel. “It was very strong, the odor,” the 12-year-old said.
Diego wasn’t doused but some of his friends complained that their skin was itching. Diego was not doused but some of his friends complained that their skin was itching.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that Delta Air Lines flight 89, headed to Shanghai, China, declared an emergency after leaving Los Angeles international airport, returned and landed without incident. Some teachers at Park Avenue had headaches from the smell, said Antonio Buenabad, area representative for the United Teachers Los Angeles union.
The FAA said it was looking into the reports of schoolchildren being affected. They were anxious to get home and shower because the stench was very strong, he said of the teachers.
Delta Air Lines said in a statement that flight 89 “experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return to LAX. The aircraft landed safely after an emergency fuel release to reduce landing weight”. A high school was also affected, but no one was treated there.
The FlightAware website’s track of the flight showed the jet took off over the ocean, made an immediate turn back toward land and circled back over southern California to approach the airport from the east.