TallDutch
2007-08-22, 01:56 AM
Technical problems force the passenger plane to empty part of its fuel load over the Alps after taking off from Milan.
Swiss air traffic controllers guided an Alitalia jet to an area over the Alps where its could jettison 30 tons of fuel after the plane encountered technical difficulties, it emerged this week. The Boeing 763 had just taken off from Milan for a flight to Chicago on Saturday when the pilot realized that a problem with the hydraulic system would force him to turn back. Although the plane was still over Italian soil, the Swiss air control system, Skyguide, was in charge of the area.
The air traffic controllers had to determine a space where the plane could dump its fuel load as a safety precaution. Landing with a full fuel tank increases the chances of an accident. “We also had to attribute an air corridor to the airline so that it could return to Italy,” said Patrick Heer, spokesman for Skyguide.
The jet was authorized to release 30 tons of kerosene over a zone between Mont Blanc and Turin between 12.23 and 12.38 p.m. According to regulations of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, fuel can only be dropped in an emergency and if the plane is flying at an altitude of at least 1,850 meters.
At this altitude, the fuel evaporates and only 0.1 percent reaches the ground. Skyguide said that this type of incident occurs about five times a year over Swiss airspace. The plane was able to return without further incident to Milan. "The security of the passengers on board was not compromised," said an Alitalia spokesman.
http://www.tdg.ch/pages/home/tribune_de ... l/(contenu (http://www.tdg.ch/pages/home/tribune_de_geneve/english_corner/news/news_detail/(contenu))/121453
Swiss air traffic controllers guided an Alitalia jet to an area over the Alps where its could jettison 30 tons of fuel after the plane encountered technical difficulties, it emerged this week. The Boeing 763 had just taken off from Milan for a flight to Chicago on Saturday when the pilot realized that a problem with the hydraulic system would force him to turn back. Although the plane was still over Italian soil, the Swiss air control system, Skyguide, was in charge of the area.
The air traffic controllers had to determine a space where the plane could dump its fuel load as a safety precaution. Landing with a full fuel tank increases the chances of an accident. “We also had to attribute an air corridor to the airline so that it could return to Italy,” said Patrick Heer, spokesman for Skyguide.
The jet was authorized to release 30 tons of kerosene over a zone between Mont Blanc and Turin between 12.23 and 12.38 p.m. According to regulations of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, fuel can only be dropped in an emergency and if the plane is flying at an altitude of at least 1,850 meters.
At this altitude, the fuel evaporates and only 0.1 percent reaches the ground. Skyguide said that this type of incident occurs about five times a year over Swiss airspace. The plane was able to return without further incident to Milan. "The security of the passengers on board was not compromised," said an Alitalia spokesman.
http://www.tdg.ch/pages/home/tribune_de ... l/(contenu (http://www.tdg.ch/pages/home/tribune_de_geneve/english_corner/news/news_detail/(contenu))/121453