Plane dumps fuel over county

Published in The Post-Star (B6)
10/20/06

Approximately 1,500 gallons of jet fuel sprayed into the air over southern Saratoga County on Wednesday morning when a New York State Air National Guard plane was forced to lighten its load for an emergency landing.

The C-130 cargo plane was heading for a support mission in Antarctica when one of its engines began leaking fuel shortly after takeoff from Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia around 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to Kent Kisselbrack, a spokesperson for the state Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

After shutting down the malfunctioning engine, the pilot took the plane up to an altitude of about 11,000 feet and dumped 10,000 pounds of fuel into the atmosphere before returning to the base for an emergency landing.

"Dumping fuel like that is not uncommon in the aircraft business," Kisselback said, "At such an altitude, it just evaporates."

The plane landed successfully, with no injuries to crew members.

The Air National Guard reported the fuel release to the DEC, because state law requires the immediate reporting of all petroleum and hazardous chemical spills that could impact state waters.

In this case, the fuel never reached the ground, so it had no discernible impact on the surrounding soil or water, said David Winchell, a regional spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

"Jet fuel is very volatile, so even in cases when it spills on the ground, there often isn't a lot to clean up because it evaporates so quickly," he explained. "It may ... have a minimal impact on the air quality."

The DEC will not fine the Air National Guard for the spill because it took place during a declared emergency, he added.
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