Buzz100ca From United States, joined May 2007, 76 posts, RR: 1 Posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 26806 times:
I was driving back home to Modesto this afternoon when I spotted this KLM 744 dumping fuel over the Central Valley. Later, I found it was flight 606 KSFO-EHAM.
Does anybody have information on the emergency? Why was it dumping so low over populated areas?
SashA From Russia, joined May 1999, 771 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 26727 times:
You have probably spotted what is yet to appear in the news... Can't begin to imagine the thoughts of passengers looking through the windows right then and realising what it was.
JFKTOWERFAN From United States, joined Sep 2001, 1099 posts, RR: 19 Reply 3, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 26654 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW DATABASE EDITOR
WOW...very nice job grabbing those pics. Wonder what the story is.
Philadelphia1 From United States, joined May 2007, 50 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 25784 times:
Isn't the Pacific ocean just yonder. I mean, would it make sense to dump over the pacific than over the fairly populated area that it did. I guess if its urgent you gotta do what you gotta do, I'm sure the pilot knew what he was doing.
He was probably coming in to land on the 28's runways, so turning south would be logical, considering the geography of the bay area.
Philadelphia1 From United States, joined May 2007, 50 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 25698 times:
Quoting HowSwedeitis (Reply 12): I think most of the fuel evaporates before it gets close to the population.
N710PS From United States, joined Oct 2006, 1166 posts, RR: 4 Reply 15, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 25476 times:
In 1996 ironic enough for the time (1 month after TWA 800) I was on a DAL 727-200 LGA-TPA and the flight number was 801 we took off out of LGA and at about 2500 feet we had a severe compressor stall in number two. The captain elected to take us out over the atlantic at about ten to twelve grand if I had to estimate and we dumped about 15,000 LBS before diverting to JFK and we did it clean wing clean body. They never did discover the cause of the compressor stall to be specific but it did intense damage to the engine and we spit some blades from the stage twos out the back end and punctured the caseing while mutilateing the rest of the blades in the engine as well from 2 back. The parts bounced off a guys roof, hit his car than boucned onto the driveway. Ironic enough he worked for the NY/NJ Port Authority at LGA too.
There is plenty of room for Gods animals, right next to the mashed potatoes!
B52oversmf From United States, joined May 2007, 36 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 25443 times:
Quoting Philadelphia1 (Reply 11): Isn't the Pacific ocean just yonder. I mean, would it make sense to dump over the pacific than over the fairly populated area that it did. I guess if its urgent you gotta do what you gotta do, I'm sure the pilot knew what he was doing.
WOW!!! I'm glad someone else saw that too! I had seen that earlier today up in Roseville as I had just come out of the house, looked up and stopped my girlfriend mid sentence (She wasn't happy but come on... Priorities. ). I noticed that the 747 was decently low. Sometimes they stay low on the way out of SFO so I didn't think too much of it until I notice that they weren't typical contrails and that it was actually fuel being dumped. I thought to myself "Nah!" and actually kind of shrugged it off thinking that it couldn't be because if there was an issue, why wouldn't they dump over the pacific? But I kept countering with the thought "contrails that low on a day as hot as it was today?"
Awesome photos. Anybody have any word as to what happened?
Kaitak744 From United States, joined Jul 2005, 1956 posts, RR: 3 Reply 20, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 25268 times:
Quoting SFO777200LR (Reply 8): Many years ago I saw an Air China 744 dumping fuel. It too had its gear extended while dumping fuel before returning to SFO.
Quoting EMBQA (Reply 4): Dumping fuel with the gear down.....??? Very odd.... Maybe he could not get the gear up..?
I don't know if this is the reason for the lowered gears, but my guess is that they lower the gears in order to cause extra drag. Extra drag will require a higher engine setting. A higher engine setting will allow burning the fuel quicker.
The aircraft, of of KLM's B744 full passenger versions, registered PH-BFG, took off from SFO and somewhere around Sacramento the crew decided to turn back to SFO because the nosewheel wouldn't retract. The aircraft dumped fuel and landed safely at SFO. The flight was then delayed for 25 hours and on Monday, two KLM B744s will be taking off from SFO within an hour, yesterday's PH-BFG and Monday's KL606, likely to be operated by PH-BFB (subject to change).
SASDC8 From Norway, joined Mar 2006, 328 posts, RR: 0 Reply 25, posted (1 year 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 23667 times:
Cool pics
Strange that they dumped fuel over land, when they hav a big ocean so close by
Quoting HB-IWC (Reply 21): Sacramento the crew decided to turn back to SFO because the nosewheel wouldn't retract
If this info is correct it seams even stranger that the dident dump over the ocean.
Stein
2-3-2 is NOT a premium configuration
26 HMan: Why wouldn't they fly to lets say Gander and refuel and make it home with the nose gear out. I would seem to me that the higher fuel burn with the no
27 Kellmark: Normally if the dump is done above 5,000 feet it evaporates before it reaches the ground. Also, if a crew feels that they need to lose weight in a hur
28 Gr325: Well this might sound awkwart but I can;t tell you what actually happend but it had nothing to do with the nosegear.
29 BHXDTW: So what do these chemtrail theorists usually say ?? Im very intreagued.... Joe
30 Oly720man: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_theory Google it, it'll keep you occupied for days, or weeks.
31 AS739X: Thanks. I saw the a/c arrive on it original scheduled flight when I got off work. Then when I was headed to my parents house 4 HRS. later and I saw i
32 Norcal773: They probably didn't dump a full load. Gee, Thanks alot, that really helps.
35 Leothedog: I'm in Folsom, and I missed it. *Rats* I did see a story on the news last night about the plane dumping the fuel and returning to SFO. Didn't catch wh
36 Seafleet: I am sure that all of it evaporated long before it got to ground level yesterday as temperatures in the central valley where very high all weekend. I
37 Morvious: Sorta. He isn't allowed to say anything about it, but busted the front gear theory/story. Nice pics
38 GR325: Hey, Have to make an apologie as I was wrong. Was confused with a different flightfew a while back so it could have been the nosegear. As an KLM emplo
39 OPNLguy: Probably? Dumping the full load X four engines @ 0 rpm = big (non-smoking) hole in ground... (They only dump enough to get below max structural landi
40 HB-IWC: Well, it was the nosegear. Nothing to bust about that. It's not a story, it's a fact.
41 Dc1030guy: The reason why the Captain kept the aircraft lower than usual is because the gear and flaps / slats have mach limits as well as indicated airspeed lim
42 Goomba: I landed at SFO last night at 8:30 PDT (local time) and saw the KLM 744 at the gate. I thought to myself that it was odd to see her still there as she
43 Buzz100ca: http://www.kcra.com/news/13735375/detail.html Jetliner Dumps Fuel Over San Joaquin Valley Plane Reported Mechanical Problems POSTED: 7:46 am PDT July
44 Gr325: Ehm, Being fairly low, having gear down means more drag, means higher engine settings to keep speed up, means more fuel burn so he will and dump more
45 B52overSMF: Yeah I know. It's a shame. The only time I ever get to see one is when I visit Travis or Castle in the air museums. Wait- I did see one at the Capito
46 EMBQA: ...and I figured it out just sitting here in front of my desk from thousand miles away...LoL..!! Hey, where did the thread on the Northwest DC-9 that
47 SEPilot: Yes, there is. There is a maximum speed with gear down; exceeding it can rip the doors off. The extra fuel burn would probably exceed what was dumped
48 OPNLguy: Between the (1) drag from the extended nose gear, (2) the reduced airspeed flown with a gear extended, and (3) the lower cruising FL flown with a gea
49 JetMech: Really! Are you sure it would be that much??? I always assumed that jet engines had very efficient combustion systems. I don't think any of the peopl
50 CptSpeaking: Very true, and quite possibly a contributing factor, but I'm guessing the main reasons for staying low were: 1)He was planning on landing anyway...wh
51 Maverick747: Is there a maximum landing weight? How is it determined? Is it based on the airliner or the airport where it is suppose to land?
52 OPNLguy: What's being discussed here is the maximum structural landing weight, and that's set by the aircraft manufacturer. Landing weights limited by field e
53 Norcal773: I saw one for the first time ever in last year's airshow at Mather Field. I was more intrigued by the C-5 though. If this guy was in the air for 24 m
54 MH017: Guys, Aircraft returned to SFO due bodygeartilt message in cockpit; 55 tons of fuel were dumped prior to landing at SFO. Plane was towed to hangar and
55 Jacobin777: ... ..that's a low blow man.....low blow indeed.....you know if I was spotting yesterday I would have photographed this queen in distress... .... ..a
56 Norcal773: Talk of a low blow..lol. Hey, I have a new SLR camera so you should cut me some slack. As for the BR 744, that's the closst you'll see a 747 in SJC.
57 Jacobin777: ....LoL...I want to hear about your new SLR camera....let me guess, its a Sony with autofocus... ..yah, we know SM-effers like you are jealous becaus
58 Norcal773: heard it was a holiday in SJC when the JAL 744 visited tow. Heck, people started talking about it 3 months before it flew in and the funny part is ha
59 Jacobin777: ...diversion... ..... .....you mean you got a Cannon auto-focus camera? .....and considering I'm already at 5,500 with another 500 coming up to for m
60 MH017: Not nose-gear, that's for sure The crew got a message there was a malfunction of the main-gear retraction (tilt); the best way to do was return to th
61 Norcal773: He was not part of the bet and I sure am glad he wasn't otherwise I wouldn't be winning. It's not an auto focus and I can add a lens to it smartAlec.
62 Buzz100ca: Just a quick update: Farmers are now claiming that the fuel dump that occurred over a week ago is effecting their crops... http://www.modbee.com/local
63 Elmothehobo: Jet fuel dissipates at altitude. The lower you go, the higher the concentration of jet fuel that hits the ground. There was an incident in Dallas a f
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