Delta 777 fuel dump over LA playground injures at least 60

At least 60 people received medical treatment from fire crews after a Shanghai-bound Delta Air Lines flight Delta dumped jet fuel over Cudahy and South Los Angeles school playgrounds, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

An initial report that 26 people received treatment was raised to 60 people after an initial response of 70 firefighters and paramedics reported to 93rd Street Elementary and Park Avenue Elementary. Crews received reports of skin irritation and the smell of strong fumes at the affected locations.

The Delta aircraft, a Boeing 777 bound for Shanghai, experienced an engine issue requiring its quick return to Los Angeles Airport (LAX) shortly after takeoff, Delta told Jet Fuel Innovation News in an email. The fuel release was required “as part of normal procedure to reach a safe landing weight,” Delta said, and added that they are working with Los Angeles World Airports and the LA County Fire Department in relation to the emergency landing. Data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 shows the Boeing 777 reached 7,775 feet before descending after only three minutes into the flight.

The FAA said they are thoroughly investigating the circumstances behind this incident.

“There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major US airport,” Allen Kenitzer of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Jet Fuel Innovation News in an email. “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.”