Delta flight that doused Los Angeles schools didn’t need to drop jet fuel, pilot says

After a Delta Air Lines flight experienced an engine problem and dumped jet fuel over Los Angeles schools, officials revealed the pilot didn’t get approval to release the fuel.

“A review of yesterday’s air traffic control communications shows the Delta Flight 89 crew did not tell air traffic control that they needed to dump fuel,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Wednesday, according to KTLA.

The Delta plane was heading from Los Angeles to Shanghai on Jan. 14 when it had a problem with its engine. On its way back to Los Angeles International Airport, it dumped jet fuel, hitting six schools and dousing children on a playground, the TV station reported.

In a radio call obtained by the LA Times, an air traffic controller asked the pilot if the plane needed to return to the airport or to “hold to burn fuel.” The pilot replied that they “got it back under control.”

“OK, so you don’t need to hold to dump fuel or anything like that?” the controller asked the pilot.

The pilot replied: “Negative,” according to the LA Times.

The FAA is investigating the incident, per The Associated Press.

According to the FAA, dumping the jet fuel also didn’t happen “at the optimal altitude” and wouldn’t have permitted the “fuel to atomize properly,” CNN reported.

After the fuel hit five elementary school and one high school, fire crews treated 60 people, inspector Sean Ferguson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department told CNN.

This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Delta flight that doused Los Angeles schools didn’t need to drop jet fuel, pilot says."