Delta Air Lines Flight 89

Delta Air Lines Flight 89 was a scheduled international flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. On January 14, 2020, the Boeing 777-232ER flying this route had engine problems shortly after takeoff.

As the plane returned to Los Angeles for an emergency landing, it dumped fuel over areas near the city. This caused skin and lung irritation in at least 56 people on the ground.

Despite the fuel dump, the aircraft landed safely with no injuries to passengers or crew. The incident led to an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Background

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 777-232ER, registered as N860DA. It was made by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1999 and had two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines.

Flight 89 was a regular Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. On January 14, 2020, the Boeing 777 took off from LAX at 11:32 a.m. with 149 passengers and 16 crew members on board.

Aftermath

First responders helped children and adults at schools who were outside when the plane released fuel. About 56 people had minor skin and lung irritation, and the schools were closed for cleaning but reopened the next day.

The event received a lot of attention from news outlets like CBS News, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. Experts discussed why the pilots released fuel over a populated area instead of over the ocean, where it is safer. Later, Delta agreed to pay $78.75 million to settle a lawsuit from people affected by the incident.

Investigation

On January 15, 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began investigating the incident involving Delta Air Lines Flight 89. The FAA explained that there are special rules for airplanes to safely dump fuel. These rules say that fuel should only be dumped over empty areas and from high altitudes, so the fuel spreads out before it reaches the ground.