Teachers Sue Delta Over Fuel Dump

A small group of teachers filed suit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Delta Air Lines, following a Jan. 14 incident in which their school, including small children, was doused with fuel.

Delta Flight 89 was en-route to Shanghai from Los Angeles when the plane had to turn around after a compressor stall that resulted in an emergency fuel dump in order to reduce the weight of the plane and land back at LAX.

Unfortunately, a good portion of the fuel landed on teachers and students at nearby Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy.

The four teachers are now seeking unspecified damages over the incident.

“The plaintiffs could feel the fuel on their clothes, their flesh, their eyes and their skin,” a lawyer for the teachers said, adding that the fuel “penetrated their mouths and noses as well, producing a lasting and severe irritation.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the suit says jet fuel is dangerous to humans and cites the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The flight did land safely shortly after the fuel dump, with all 167 passengers and crew unharmed.

The Federal Aviation Administration has already launched an investigation into the incident.

The plane could clearly be seen flying at a low altitude and dumping fuel, even though FAA rules say a fuel dump should occur only over designated areas – such as a body of water – and only at high altitude so that it evaporates before hitting the ground.