Delta agrees to $79 million settlement for residential fuel drop

Delta Airlines reached a preliminary $79 million settlement with plaintiffs who were affected when the airline dropped 15,000 gallons of fuel on neighborhoods and schools near Los Angeles, according to court documents filed earlier this week. A Boeing 777-200 bound for Shanghai took off from Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2020, but had to quickly turn around and return to Los Angeles International Airport. While returning, the jet dumped the fuel in order to reach a safe landing weight, dousing the area in fuel.

Why was it necessary to dump the fuel? An engine failure soon after takeoff forced the jet to return to LAX, according to the settlement filing. However, the jet exceeded the maximum landing weight because it still had a near full tank of gas for the 13-hour flight. The crew decided to jettison the excess fuel to reduce the risks associated with an overweight emergency landing, the filing explained.

Victims reported minor skin and lung irritation from the fuel, as well as fuel covering their clothes and skin and surrounding them with overwhelming fumes. The plaintiffs filed a class action suit over the incident, which Delta has now agreed to settle after the case spent several years in court. The settlement is not an admission of liability or guilt from Delta, according to the filing. A federal judge must still approve the agreement before it can become formally binding.

Dig deeper: Read Rachel Lynn Aldrich’s original 2020 report on the incident.