A worker at Dallas Fort-Worth International airport was caught on camera accidentally drenching the runway with jet fuel while filling up an American Eagle aircraft.
Video emerged of the scene on Friday after a ground worker at the airport lost control of the refueling hose and doused the runway with the highly flammable liquid underneath the aircraft.
Witnesses to the incident said the worker had just finished refueling the jet but lost control of the hose when trying to disconnect it from the aircraft.
The footage captured the worker, startled by the floods of fuel spouting from the hose, appearing to wipe his face after the hose began whipping across the tarmac.
Fuel spouted from the hose for around a full minute before the ground worker was able to switch the stream off.
Emergency crews responded to the incident and cleared the fuel using special absorbent materials.
Nearby gates were momentarily paused while the spill was contained, with no injuries or damages reported.
A worker at Dallas Fort-Worth International airport was left horrified after accidentally drenching the runway with jet fuel while refueling an American Eagle jet
Witnesses to the incident said the worker had just finished refueling the jet but lost control of the hose when trying to disconnect it from the aircraft
American Airlines, who owns some carriers that operate under the American Eagle brand, said in a statement to the Daily Mail: ‘We are aware of a fueling issue that occurred on Oct. 10 involving an American Eagle aircraft that was parked at the gate in Terminal E.’
While the exact cause of the incident remains unclear, the airline said they are ‘looking into the incident with DFW Airport and the airport’s fueling contractor, Menzies, and worked together on the cleanup per procedure.’
Online theories speculated that the spill was caused by a fault with the dead man’s switch, a safety precaution that would have stopped the flow of fuel.
Nearby gates at DFW Intl. Airport (pictured) were momentarily paused while the spill was contained, with no injuries or damages reported
Others pointed out that the hose appeared to have detached from the nozzle, which was still attached to the aircraft.
‘If you look closely the single point receptacle is still attached. He was messing with the clicky rings,’ one user commented on a Reddit thread.
‘Also, the hose cart operator is supposed to be holding a deadman switch. All you do is let go and it stops. Which means someone was probably overriding safety procedures,’ they added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Menzies for comment.
