Blurs

When most people think about aircraft fuel, they picture the enormous quantities loaded into the wings of a long-haul airliner. What is less widely known is that, in an emergency, an aircraft may deliberately release some of that fuel into the atmosphere. It is called fuel jettisoning, or fuel dumping. It sounds like something that must happen frequently. In reality, it is remarkably rare — but there is an intriguing problem when you try to discover exactly how much fuel is released worldwide. Nobody appears to have a comprehensive global total. Why would an aircraft dump fuel? Large aircraft can take off substantially heavier than they are permitted to be when landing. That difference exists because landing places considerable loads on the aircraft's structure and landing gear. A fully fuelled long-haul aircraft returning shortly after departure may therefore be carrying far more fuel than it can safely land with. If an emergency occurs — perhaps an engine problem, serious mechani...