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Fuel leaking from wing on UA170 2017-06-14

Fuel leaking from wing on UA170 2017-06-14

Old Jun 14, 2017, 3:40 pm
  #1  
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Fuel leaking from wing on UA170 2017-06-14

Sorry if this has been posted already. A cursory search in this forum turned up nothing.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201..._from_win.html

NEWARK -- United Airlines cancelled a flight out of Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday night after fuel gushed from one of the plane's wings as it taxied to the runway.

A video shot by a passenger shows fuel spilling onto the runway from the edge of the left wing.

Flight 170 was scheduled to depart for Venice, Italy at 6:55 p.m, but was forced to return to the gate.

Passengers were put in a hotel and United will attempt to re-book them on a flight Wednesday, United said in a statement. United described the incident as a "fuel leak," but didn't mention where the leak originated.
Video from a passenger:
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 4:09 pm
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A bit dramatic, no?

"How not one crew member saw this is beyond me" I mean I am no pilot and have and probably never will fly an airplane but I'm sure bells and whistles in the cockpit were lighting up and dinging like crazy.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 4:23 pm
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Isn't this just a little overflow out the vent?

I'm surprised the flight cancelled.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 4:47 pm
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[Off topic text deleted by Moderator.]

As for the leak - I am very interested in knowing how it occurred. Does anyone have any insight on what could cause the overflow?

Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jun 14, 2017 at 9:35 pm Reason: Off topic.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:06 pm
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Originally Posted by mduell
Isn't this just a little overflow out the vent?

I'm surprised the flight cancelled.
My first thought was also that it was leaking out the fuel venting system. Could be a bad check valve that is allowing the fuel into the vent. Can also happen in warm weather as the fuel in a full tank warms and expands. It has to go somewhere so it ends up in the vents.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:36 pm
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How much fuel is "normal" to vent. That looks like a pretty good spill? I imagine don't want to just allow that onto airport surfaces, could also ignite?
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:43 pm
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[Off topic text edited by Moderator.]

Re: Not one Crewmember... Apart from gauges in the cockpit, when cabin crew are seated for taxi/takeoff, I don't think it's a realistic expectation for them to be able see fuel "gushing". I just don't think they have the vantage point like a pax in say 21A/21F.

Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jun 14, 2017 at 9:38 pm Reason: See note above.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:49 pm
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[Off topic text edited by Moderator.]

Back on topic. As others have said, does look like overflow. I've seen similar before and after a quick check at the gate took off. Given the facts OP posted this must have been more serious. Either way, I'd be raising the issue aggressively as a pax in this situation.

Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jun 14, 2017 at 9:38 pm Reason: See note above.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:50 pm
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Originally Posted by MarkyMarc
+1000. Happy people have landed elsewhere. But, the all-out bashing of UA from the same defectors gets tiring. Move on.

Re: Not one Crewmember... Apart from gauges in the cockpit, when cabin crew are seated for taxi/takeoff, I don't think it's a realistic expectation for them to be able see fuel "gushing". I just don't think they have the vantage point like a pax in say 21A/21F.
You're right. Once those flight attendants plop down in their jump seats, they become off-duty, turn on those reading lamps, and start reading a book until 10,000 feet. Shouldn't have any realistic expectations of them of observing the over wing exit windows or overhearing passengers talking, that Fifty Shades book isn't going to read itself.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:51 pm
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
My first thought was also that it was leaking out the fuel venting system. Could be a bad check valve that is allowing the fuel into the vent. Can also happen in warm weather as the fuel in a full tank warms and expands. It has to go somewhere so it ends up in the vents.
Thank you for chiming in.

Would there have been any indicator/alarm in the cockpit that this was happening?
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:54 pm
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Originally Posted by pfpdx
I imagine don't want to just allow that onto airport surfaces, could also ignite?
Sure they should clean it up. Not very easy to ignite, for safety reasons; flash point specified as 100+ F.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 5:59 pm
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Don't forget, there were also other planes in the area as well as ground crew. All of these people may well have been in a better position to see the fuel leaking than the crew on the plane. There have been situations before where it is someone outside of the plane who sees something that does not look right and alerts the pilot over the radio.

Good chance that happened in this case if the pilots were not alerted to it by their own internal systems.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 6:39 pm
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
My first thought was also that it was leaking out the fuel venting system. Could be a bad check valve that is allowing the fuel into the vent. Can also happen in warm weather as the fuel in a full tank warms and expands. It has to go somewhere so it ends up in the vents.
Appreciate the professional perspective here.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 6:58 pm
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Originally Posted by mduell
Isn't this just a little overflow out the vent?
United wouldn't have cancelled the flight if that's all it was.
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Old Jun 14, 2017, 9:06 pm
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Originally Posted by pfpdx
How much fuel is "normal" to vent. That looks like a pretty good spill? I imagine don't want to just allow that onto airport surfaces, could also ignite?
There's a misconception that jet fuel is more flammable than gasoline and that's just not true. In spite of what you see in Hollywood movies, Jet A has a much higher flash point and does not give off vapors like gasoline does so it actually takes a fair amount of effort to get it to ignite.

Jet fuel is more like kerosene or diesel fuel - it is highly combustible in the right situation and burns longer and hotter but it is much safer to handle in liquid form than other fuels because of it's higher flash point (the temp at which fuel vaporizes and ignites +100F vs. -45F for gasoline).

If you throw a lit match into a barrel of jet fuel it will just extinguish.
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