A standard refueling exercise in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on a Saturday, October 11, turned into a disastrous incident when a ground worker inadvertently cut off a pressurized hose of fuel that spilled thousands of gallons of jet fuel on the tarmac and onto an American Eagle aircraft.
It happened at the Gate D23 of Terminal E where a Bombardier CRN-900LR, which was serviced by PSA Airlines on behalf of American Eagle, was being serviced.
There were dramatic video clips on social media, which filmed the moment the worker lost control of the hose, which I then lashed across the ground in a whipping manner spraying the Jet fuel, which is a highly flammable liquid, in a chaotic stream beneath the plane.
Witnesses and officials reported that the worker had only just refueled and did not take necessary steps to depressurize properly before unloading the hose.
The video captures the person moving aside the hose as it thrashes, and huge pools of fuel are rapidly accumulating on the tarmac. It was several minutes before the spill was stopped, which lasted about one minute.
Airport responders and emergency crews were sent to the rescue. The fuel was soon contained and cleaned up with special absorbent materials due to the spill containment infrastructure which was installed at the airport.
There were no injuries and there were no serious delays in flight but nearby gates were halted temporarily as a precaution.
American Airlines confirmed in a statement that they are investigating the incident with DFW Airport, and the fueling contractor of the airport, Menzies Aviation.
The affected aircraft was well inspected, and found to be free of damage and was subsequently brought back into service.
Although the actual size of the spillage is still under investigation, Australian aviation analysts cite the accident as a blatant case of human error in observing important safety protocols.
The incident has also prompted American Airlines embark to review its ramp safety measures to ensure that the same does not happen again.
