Stratotanker dumps fuel over Kyrgyzstan - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Stratotanker dumps fuel over Kyrgyzstan

A KC-135R Stratotanker in distress jettisoned 54,000 pounds of fuel over southern Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, Manas Air Base officials announced Monday.

The tanker, assigned to the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, experienced a pressurization problem, followed by smoke and fumes in the cockpit, about an hour into a mission to support operations in Afghanistan. Its crew dumped the fuel to reach a safe landing weight.

“Prior to this in-flight emergency, there has not been any fuel jettisoned over Kyrgyzstan by Manas Air Base aircraft since September 2005,” Col. Christopher Bence, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, said in a news release. “This is a testament to how hard we work to respect the Kyrgyz environment while conducting our mission.”

The fuel was jettisoned at roughly 24,000 feet, above the Kyrgyz fuel jettison minimum altitude of 19,700 feet. Jettisoning fuel at higher altitudes helps to ensure it vaporizes before reaching the ground.