Fuel Dumping

Fuel dumping (or fuel jettison) is an emergency procedure in which fuel is intentionally released from the aircraft in flight to rapidly reduce the aircraft's gross weight. This is necessary when an aircraft must land shortly after takeoff and its current weight exceeds the maximum landing weight (MLW).

Landing overweight is possible but risks structural damage to the landing gear, wings, and fuselage, and significantly increases stopping distance. Fuel dumping allows the aircraft to reach a safe landing weight within minutes rather than the hours it would take to burn off the excess fuel in normal flight.

Key points about fuel dumping:

• Not all aircraft types have fuel dump capability — it is typically found on wide-body and some narrow-body jets
• Fuel is released from nozzles in the wingtips or wing trailing edge at altitudes above 5,000-6,000 feet
• At these altitudes, the fuel atomizes and evaporates before reaching the ground
• ATC is notified and provides a designated area for dumping, usually away from populated areas
• The aircraft cannot dump below a minimum fuel quantity — enough to reach the airport and maintain reserves