Airbus Fuel Dumping?
Does the Airbus 320 have the ability to dump fuel? I was watching jetblue yesterday and from time to time I would see streams of white stuff flow out of the back of the tail area.
JetMan
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Yes. I think it's some kind of requirement actually... it would suck to have to burn off the fuel, although some planes just have to do that. Anyway, the A320 does have the ability to dump fuel I'm pretty sure.
Pretty sure the A320 does not have fuel dumping capability. I remember watching a 320 some years ago...it was supposed to do a night TFS but went tech so they subbed the TFS and used the ac on a much shorter flight but they had to route North before they could head South to burn a bit of fuel so as to not land "over the limit"!
Just saw on the news that the Jet Blue A320 was circling for three hours. So I suppose, no =p What an inconvenience!
No it can't dump fuel out, if it could, the plane wouldnt have to fly around for 3 hours.
That's interesting...I didn't know that the A320 doesn't have the ability to dump fuel. I checked in a picture of an Overhead panel and it's true. There are no buttons to dump fuel.
I'm gonna read more about that. 
yes I noticed what appeared to be a long tube like thing hanging down but I could be sure what it was but yes it looked a though it was acualy dumping fuel
I was watching the whole thing unfold live on TV. I live in southern callifornia and there were many times that I noted a streem of fluid coming from the back of the tail area. It was not a consistant stream but spurts. That tells me that it was dropping the fuel. The plane had a full tank of fuel and it would have taken 5 hours to burn the fuel since a cross country trek would be at least 5 hours. I have flown the 320 cross country it's a LONG flight!
Maybe there were a few airbuses that could drop fuel? Maybe these are newer airbuses? I am pretty sure confident it was dropping fuel.
Maybe somebody knows somebody that actually flies the 320?
JetMan
The A330-200/300, A340-200/300, A340-500/600, and the A380 can dump fuel. I don't really know about A300, A310, A319, A320, and A321. I've never thought about that.
Several pilots of A320s interviewed by the various TV stations stated that the A320 has no means of dumping fuel. It circled for two hours not to burn off all of its fuel but to reduce its weight to the point where the pilot wanted it to be prior to landing.
As a difinitive reason for why planes like the A320/737 series and smaller planes have no fuel-dump capacity:
The requirement for a fuel dump system is dependant on the STRUCTURAL capability of the specific aircraft. A manufacturer will certify an aircraft at a certain MAX LANDING WEIGHT. However, if the aircraft STRUCTURE can withstand a landing with FULL FUEL, no fuel dump is required. Even aircraft with a fuel dump system will often have an allowed landing weight higher than the certified landing weight.
The certified landing weight has to do with flap pressures, runway length requirements, go-around capabilities, and CG limits. (there are others)MAX Allowed landing weight may in some cases be the same as MAX Take OFF weight. This is what you use for emergencies.
A couple of times, I landed the 777 over max landng certified weight because weather, runway and fuel conservation were considered acceptable.
Whenever a captain lands above CERTIFIED landing weight, a special maintenance check is required. IF the landing is SMOOTH, it is a minimal check. If the landing is firm or hard, it is a very long and intensive maintenance event taking many hours of manpower.
In the case of the JET BLUE Airbus, they were more concerned with approach and landing speed and how much that nose landing strut could withstand. That's why they flew the fuel load down.
There is FAR requirement, but it is applied in the aircraft certification process. Dispatchers and maintenance departments have that info. Pilots only need the normal and emergency information found in the LIMITS section of the Flight Handbook. When needed, the dispatcher and maintenance controller will share that info with the pilots.
---leo---
Leo Angevine is a member of United Virtual, and flew with United (non-virtual) for many years as a 777 captain.
what you saw coming out of the tail was probably a result of the passengers suddenley finding themselves needing the toilet! 😀
That's funny! I bet that is what it was!! Well, we can now say that the airbus 320 does not have fuel dumping.
Jetman
jetman35 wrote:
That's funny! I bet that is what it was!! Well, we can now say that the airbus 320 does not have fuel dumping.
Jetman
Right. Just passenger dumping. 😳
hold on here I thought the planes hand septic tank like things because the waste was harful to just be dumping out when ever someone takes a 
... you get the idea.
BUt honestly I thought for several years planes could not dump waste like that.
also I dont think the pilot would want people up and about while dealing with an emergency situation.
But on the other hand I could be rong about everything.
Nope, sorta suks for the jetblue 🙄
Hello JetMan,
I'd be happy to help clarify the situation you observed with the Airbus A320. The short answer is that no, the Airbus A320 family of aircraft does not have fuel dump capability.
The longer explanation involves understanding that fuel dumping is generally only present in larger, long-haul aircraft, such as the Airbus A330 or the Boeing 777. The primary purpose of fuel dumping (technically known as fuel jettison) is to rapidly reduce the aircraft's weight to meet the maximum landing weight (MLW) in the event of an emergency or an unexpected return to the airport shortly after takeoff.
Now, regarding the white streams you saw coming from the tail area of the A320, it is most likely condensation trails (or contrails for short). Contrails are formed when the hot, moist exhaust from the aircraft's engines meets the cold air at high altitudes. The difference in temperature and pressure causes the moisture to rapidly condense into ice crystals, forming visible trails behind the aircraft.
In some cases, contrails can also be formed by the aircraft's wingtip vortices, which are spinning air currents created by the interaction between the high pressure air below the wing and the low pressure air above the wing. Wingtip vortices can also cause visible condensation trails when the aircraft is flying through moist air, particularly during takeoff and landing.
I hope that clears up any confusion, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
Safe skies and happy simming!
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