Airline Pilots Jettisoned 15,000 Pounds of Fuel Over Populated Areas

Five years after one of its Boeing 777s dumped 15,000 pounds of jet fuel onto neighborhoods, Delta Air Lines has agreed to pay $78.75 million to settle a class-action lawsuit. The proposed settlement still requires a judge’s approval, but could distribute compensation to residents of nearly 38,000 properties. After legal fees, the payout may total about $50.6 million.

The incident occurred on January 14, 2020, when Delta Flight 89 departed Los Angeles International Airport bound for Shanghai with 167 people aboard. Shortly after takeoff, one engine lost thrust. The pilots realized that they would be landing far over their maximum weight (160,000 pounds, to be exact) and decided to jettison thousands of gallons of fuel at low altitude before circling back to land safely at LAX. The maneuver reduced structural stress on the aircraft… and instead left schools, homes, and playgrounds coated with jet fuel.

Dozens of students and teachers at Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy reported burning skin, irritated eyes, and trouble breathing. Nearly 60 were treated by emergency responders, though none required hospitalization. Residents later described fuel falling “like raindrops,” coating clothes and yards with a chemical sheen. The lawsuits that followed argued that the pilots should have burned fuel in a holding pattern or released it over the ocean at a higher altitude, where it would dissipate.

The airline denied wrongdoing throughout the case, citing federal regulations and FAA-approved training. The airline emphasized that the crew “did exactly what they were supposed to do” and that an FAA investigation cleared them of misconduct, but is forking over nearly $79 million to make the matter go away regardless.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs called the resolution fair for the "hard-working families who asked only for respect and just treatment and rightly deserve this result."

FMI: www.delta.com