Southland air-quality regulators Friday issued a violation notice to Delta Air Lines Friday stemming from the dumping of roughly 15,000 gallons of fuel from an airliner prior to making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport.
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the notice of violation accused Delta of causing a “public nuisance” with the fuel dump, which prompted hazardous-materials responses to multiple schools in Cudahy, South Gate and South Los Angeles.
No serious injuries were reported and nobody was hospitalized.
The fuel was dumped from Delta flight 89, which took off from LAX around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday bound for Shanghai and had to return to the airport after developing an engine problem. Before landing, the pilots flew a wide circle over the Southland, and despite initially telling air-traffic controllers they did not need to dump any fuel, they did so anyway. Droplets of fuel rained down over a large area, causing complaints of skin irritation and respiratory issues at the affected schools.
Delta officials could not be reached late Friday for comment on the AQMD action.
AQMD officials said the formal notice of violation “can result in civil penalties.”
“In some cases, the company can choose to implement voluntary measures to reduce emissions or otherwise prevent further violations,” according to the agency. “If no settlement is reached, a civil lawsuit may ultimately be filed in superior court.”