Air emergency: cargo Boeing jettisoned tonnes of paraffin over Germany
John McArthur, Unsplash
On Sunday evening, a Cargolux Boeing 747 freighter on a flight from Luxembourg to Dubai was forced to make an emergency manoeuvre: the aircraft dropped 49 tonnes of paraffin over Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland after technical problems were detected.
According to German media, the emergency fuel dumping operation took place from 17:50 to 18:30 at an altitude of about 13,000 feet (about 4 kilometres) in the area between the settlements of Eppelborn (Eppelborn) and Enkenbach-Alsenborn (Enkenbach-Alsenborn).
After completing the jettison procedure, the aircraft returned safely and landed at Luxembourg airport.
The German environmental authorities promptly stated that most of the paraffin vaporised in the atmosphere during the fall, due to the altitude and environmental conditions. Thus, no serious threat to the environment or the public was identified.
