A United States Air Force (USAF) cargo plane experienced an emergency situation and initiated fuel dumping shortly after taking off. The C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift transport aircraft declared an in-flight emergency soon after departure this afternoon from Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany. Operating under the call sign RCH633, the $200 million aircraft signaled an emergency (squawk 7700) early into the flight, leading to an immediate diversion and fuel dump procedure over the German countryside.
According to reports from the AirLive website, the fuel dump took place near Ramstein Air Base. The massive transport aircraft, measuring 174 feet in length with a wingspan of 169 feet, had to release or burn its fuel reserves to reduce weight for a safe landing. With a capacity of over 100,000 liters of fuel, weighing more than 82,000 kilograms, the plane underwent the fuel dump operation at approximately 7,000 feet to ensure it was below its maximum landing weight before landing. Such actions are common during emergency landings on long-haul flights carrying heavy fuel loads.
Although the concept of releasing large amounts of fuel may raise environmental concerns, the operation was conducted at 7,000 feet to allow the jet fuel to disperse and evaporate into a thin mist, minimizing environmental impact upon reaching the ground. Military officials have not disclosed the specific nature of the emergency, and inquiries have been made to the US European Command for clarification.
The aircraft, identified by the callsign RCH as a ‘Reach’ flight, typically involved in cargo and personnel transport across the European theatre, landed at Ramstein Air Base around 5pm Central European Time (CET) or 4pm GMT after circling for several hours.
