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Aviation officials are looking into whether shards from a damaged tire may have contributed to a hydraulic problem that forced a Continental Airlines jet to make an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday.
...
Before landing safely at 12:15 p.m., less than an hour after takeoff, the Boeing 777 with 291 passengers and crew on board dumped 170,000 pounds of fuel while circling over central New Jersey. King reiterated the airline’s position today that the fuel was dumped properly — in the form of a mist intended to dissipate before reaching the ground — while circling above central New Jersey. Officials said the dump was necessary to lighten the Boeing 777 sufficiently for a safe landing.
But the fuel dump also unleashed a flood of complaints by residents, prompting Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.) to demand a full accounting of the incident and its environmental and health effects from various federal and state agencies as well as the airline.
Explanation: Meh! It equates to at the worst 31 parts per trillion!
Here is why...
Average cruise speed of 777 = 900km/hr [approx]
Average rate of full 360 degree turn = 4mins [1 full lap]
Approx distance covered during 1 full lap = 60km
Average altitude ceiling for cruise = 11km
Approx volume of affected area = 3150 cubic km [3150km^3]
1 cubic km = 1 000 000 000 000 [1 trillion liters]
25000 gallons dumped = 8 gallons/ 1 cubic km [8gl/1km^3]
1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters
8 gallons = 30.28329424 liters [rounded up to 31 liters]
Therefor 31 liters of jet fuel [basically kerosene] per 1 trillion liters!
Note that this is assuming that the volume of air within the 9km radius X 11km tall cylinder marked out by the in flight turning circle of the 777 was isolated inside a bubble! The reality is far different and also far more open.
Personal Disclosure: Yes..Do The Math INDEED!
P.S. For comparison, drop 31 liters of kerosene on a 1km^2 [1 square km] bushfire and see how much MORE damage it does!