There can be many surprises that cause a plane to land early in the sky with a full tank of fuel. The strangest of these reasons in 2020 was that one of the passengers became ill.. Why would planes in such situations be able to repeatedly circle in the air when they should be making an emergency landing?

There’s actually a very simple explanation for this: if you see a plane circling overhead, don’t be afraid. He’s just trying to drain his fuel.

Before the planes take off, the flight planner calculates the amount of fuel required.

While the plane is cruising how much fuel the pilot will burn, how much the plane will weigh for a safe landing Such information is in the hands of the captain. However, fuel draining is very rare. Because dropping jet fuel, which is quite expensive, from the sky is the last option the pilot will consider.

Fuel injection systems can instantly drain thousands of dollars of fuel per second. An aircraft can even return to the desired maximum landing weight in 15 minutes or less. This process is as simple as pressing a button in the cockpit. However, not every aircraft has this practical feature. Aircraft without a fuel dump system consume fuel by circling on the safe route and altitude recommended by the tower.

This event won’t last long. Because aircraft can reach the desired weight in less than 15 minutes.

With just a simple instruction in the cockpit, the pilot can dump fuel through the system at the rear of the aircraft. Naturally, this situation raises many questions. For example “What if all the fuel fails at once? No problem; Even if the pilot wants to throw out all the fuel right away, the planes won’t let this happen. security ‘stop’ It occurs with. This way, not all the fuel disappears at once.

Pilots alone cannot decide when and how to dump fuel. They also have a rule. For example If an aircraft is going to dump fuel, it should be about 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle on the route. And of course it is important to stay away from busy places and waterfronts as much as possible.

We should not forget air traffic controllers either. They also advise pilots on the most suitable place to dump fuel.

Dumping fuel into the atmosphere is a form of “waste of money” It’s not a very common situation, because it happens. Regardless, fuel draining usually takes place in emergency situations. However, according to research by British Airways, it is used annually by the aviation industry. Only 0.01% of the fuel appears to be discharged.

If this figure still holds About 2 million gallons (7,570,823.57 liters) by US airlines alone in 2018 means fuel is released into the atmosphere. The same studies claim that the discharged fuel must evaporate before falling to the ground. However, some argue that even if the fuel evaporates, it still lingers in the atmosphere. In other words: it is not yet clear whether he is healthy or not.

The THY plane, which took off from Atatürk Airport on October 13, 2017, circled in the sky for seven hours.

Shortly after takeoff, the plane decided to return to the airport because a passenger became ill. The plane, carrying 257 passengers, was forced to evacuate fuel. He toured the Sea of ​​Marmara for seven hours. Since the plane’s route was Canada, the fuel that would last that distance had to be evacuated to ensure a safe landing. The landing took place after 7 hours; These images were thus reflected on the screens.

Since it is not yet certain that it is healthy, is there no alternative to draining the fuel?

It is indeed possible to land a very heavy aircraft, but this is not recommended. Because if the pilot makes a hard landing, he will really push the plane can cause sudden damage. In addition, before landing a plane full of fuel, keep in mind that the plane will catch fire in the event of a possible fire or accident.

But what ultimately matters is the safety of the passengers. So if you ask whether it is a fuel dump or a dangerous landing, they are not much different from each other. Both have advantages and disadvantages. But either way, it is the pilot’s job to land the plane as quickly and safely as possible. If this requires a hard landing, it will be an unavoidable decision. After all, as we said, the most important thing is to ensure the safety of passengers.