Teachers file lawsuit against Delta after airplane dumps fuel on California playground

On Friday, four teachers from the school filed a lawsuit against Delta. The lawsuit noted that the teachers and children “could feel the fuel on their clothes, flesh, eyes and skin,” adding that “fuel penetrated their mouths and noses as well producing a lasting and severe irritation and a lasting and noxious taste and smell.”

The teachers explained that they and the students felt “sick, dizzy and nauseated” following the fuel dump. One of the four teachers had to seek medical attention for persistent symptoms.

Delta explained that the aircraft, which was headed toward Shanghai, landed safely after the emergency fuel dump and explained that it paid for crews to clean up the mess after the incident.

An attorney for the teachers, Gloria Allred, lauded the group for protecting the safety of students before caring for themselves, stating, “They immediately rushed their students indoors and did their best to decontaminate the children who were screaming and crying. Even though the teachers were also contaminated and in pain from the toxic fumes and fuel, they assisted the children first and put their own safety last.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has been investigating the incident but noted that they did not authorize the fuel dump. Audio from the flight communications confirmed that the pilots said they would not need to lose fuel to safely land the aircraft. It is not yet clear why that decision changed.