THIS is the moment a Texas airport worker loses control of a high-pressure fuel hose, spraying flammable jet fuel everywhere across the tarmac.
Jaw-dropping footage filmed at Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport shows a ground crew member refuelling an American Eagle jet at Terminal E when the situation suddenly spirals out of control.
X/airmainengineerA Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport worker lost control of a high-pressure fuel hose[/caption]
X/airmainengineerThe staffer can be seen appearing to wipe his face as he walks out of the scene[/caption]
As the worker attempts to disconnect the hose from the aircraft, it violently whips beneath the plane, spewing streams of flammable fuel for nearly a full minute.
At one point, the startled worker appears to wipe his face – seemingly after being hit by the spraying fuel.
He then walks away as huge, dangerous pools of jet fuel begin to form under the aircraft.
Emergency crews rushed in and used special absorbent materials to contain the spill, while nearby gates were also temporarily paused.
No injuries or damage were reported, but aviation safety experts say incidents like this, while rare, can turn catastrophic in seconds if ignited.
Airbus data shows such refuelling mishaps occur in less than one per cent of operations.
But with over 89,000 flights departing daily across the US, even one mistake poses enormous fire risk.
American Airlines confirmed the spill occurred on Saturday.
The airline said: “We are looking into the incident with DFW Airport and the airport’s fuelling contractor, Menzies, and worked together on the cleanup per procedure.”
DFW Airport officials told The New York Post the spill containment system kicked in and crews quickly cleaned the area.
The exact amount of fuel spilled is not yet known.
The video was shared widely online and sparked fierce debate over safety protocols.
Some users pointed to the “dead man’s switch” – a failsafe designed to instantly cut off fuel flow when released – questioning whether it was overridden.
One commenter wrote: “Also, the hose cart operator is supposed to be holding a dead man’s switch.
“All you do is let go and it stops.
“Which means someone was probably overriding safety procedures.”
Others noted the hose appeared to detach from the nozzle still locked into the jet’s fuel receptacle.
“If you look closely the single point receptacle is still attached. He was messing with the clicky rings,” a Reddit user observed.
It comes just days after two Delta passenger planes collided in a terrifying smash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport – ripping the wing off one jet and injuring a flight attendant.
The CRJ-900 regional jets, both operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, clipped each other around 9.56pm on October 1 while taxiing at low speed.
Shocking footage shows the aftermath: one plane’s wing torn apart, the nose of the other visibly dented, and passengers stranded as emergency vehicles swarmed the tarmac.
X/airmainengineerFlammable jet fuel sprayed across the tarmac for nearly a full minute, forming dangerous pools[/caption]
X/airmainengineerEmergency crews contained the spill, and no injuries or damage were reported from the incident[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
