Fuel Dump Over Chesapeake Bay

 Plane Dumps Fuel Over Chesapeake Bay Before BWI Landing

A plane had to dump fuel over the Chesapeake Bay recently, WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore reported on Feb. 16.

Journalist Deborah Weiner said the pilot got a warning that the plane had an open door shortly after it left Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Jan. 11. The Europe-bound aircraft, which was a civilian plane contracted to the military, then had to return to BWI to address the caution light.

Because the flight had just departed, the aircraft still had most of its fuel and was too heavy to land at the airport. WBAL said the pilot then worked with air traffic control to coordinate the necessary dump over the bay, where the fuel was less likely to harm people or property. The contractor, Atlas Air Company, told the TV station that it followed all safety protocols and that inspectors found no problems with the plane after it safely landed at BWI.

I suspect it happens more often than you might think, especially with the military traffic out of Patuxent River Naval Air Station, but I've never heard of it before.

They should have dumped it over Baltimore; it might have cleaned some of the streets.