European ATC Fuel Jettison Procedures

[Capt Groper]

Two questions to European ATC.

What are the ATC procedures your required to follow when an aircraft advises it wishes to jettison fuel in European airspace?

Are you required to submit a report anf if so what is the contents.

Many thanks.

[Roffa]

Generic UK procedure...

12 Fuel Jettisoning

12.1 Pilots of aircraft in flight are permitted to jettison fuel in an emergency.

The decision to jettison rests solely with the pilot but he may request guidance from ATC.

12.2 When an aircraft in controlled airspace needs to dump fuel, ATC should co-ordinate with the flight crew:

a) the route to be flown which, if possible, should be clear of cities and towns, preferably over water and away from areas where thunderstorms have been reported or are expected;
b) the level to be used;
c) the estimated duration of the fuel dumping; and
d) the frequency to be monitored whilst the aircraft is dumping fuel.

12.3 Controllers are to recommend to flight crew that jettisoning of fuel should be carried out above 10,000 feet agl. Exceptionally, if fuel dumping at this level, or over water, is operationally impracticable or inconsistent with safety, fuel may be jettisoned above 7000 feet agl in winter and above 4000 feet agl in summer. For fuel to be jettisoned below these levels the situation must be unavoidable.

12.4 A vertical separation of at least 1000 feet between aircraft should be maintained.

12.5 Adjacent ATC units and control sectors should be informed of the fuel dumping taking place, including co-ordination with units providing services outside controlled airspace where the aircraft’s track is near to the boundary of controlled airspace (both laterally and vertically).

The basic details would almost certainly need to be reported under the MOR Scheme. (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP382.PDF)

[5milesbaby]

The basic details would almost certainly need to be reported under the MOR Scheme.
Not always though, would depend on the circumstances surrounding the reason.

[Arkady]

12.1 Pilots of aircraft in flight are permitted to jettison fuel in an emergency.

Under what circumstances would an aircraft in an emergency situation leading to the dumping of fuel not require a report to be filed?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Would a flight having to return due to, say, a sick passenger justify an MOR?

[Blockla]

Would a flight having to return due to, say, a sick passenger justify an MOR?Yes, but the MOR would be about the fuel dump not the return. AFAIK, all fuel dumps are immediately reportable.

[Capt Groper]

Many thanks to the replies, and Roffa's copy of the relevant ATC procedures.

According to the rules, as copied by Roffa, in an EMERGENCY fuel jettison is allowable, but is this without a possible fine?

Now does the term EMERGENCY refer to both PANPAN and MAYDAY alert phases or just a MAYDAY?

Also if returning to the departure or diverting to an enroute airport for a non emergency would fuel jettison still be allowed without a fine?

I have heard, and would like to see written clarification, that in Europe (not too sure which countries) if it is not an emergency and an A/C jettisons fuel then the Captain/Operator could be liable to a heavy fine.

If this is the case then a relevant governmental department must be informed through a reporting scheme. This reporting scheme must originate from ATC with a report detailing the circumstances and forwarded to the relevant government department that issues the fines.

Roffa, if you’re an ATC and an A/C jettisons fuel then are you required to submit a MOR? I understand that the Captain/Operator would also be required in most circumstances but not always as 5milesbaby says.

Recently I was in the position of a return to departure airport, not an emergency, and was asked by French ATC my alert phase and would fuel jettison be required. It sounded like I would be answering questions in a data entry form that ATC were obliged to complete if I said yes to fuel jettison.

[Lon More]

Above answers all seem UK orientated, as is this (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/7/EIS%2012.pdf), but it covers the MOR

Memory is not too good, but basically (for the Benelux) anywhere YOU want. If possible, over water and at least 3000 feet above any traffic and 1000 below

ICAO Doc. 4444 15.4.3 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/19285399/Doc-4444-Air-Traffic-Management) will show you the ICAO standards; most nations use this or a slight variation thereof

[BrATCO]

SOP in French ATC :

Stage 1 : Take the check-list for emergency procedures in the little red book between the radar screens. Either emergency for you or not : that's an emergency for us.
Stage 2 : Stick to the check-list
Stage 3 : Back to normal operation
Stage 4 : File a report

To be more precise. From memory, compared with UK's SOP :
12.1 : Same as UK
12.2 : Same as UK
12.3 : Minimun height 6000' AGL, 3000' AMSL, except in case of no choice (Real emergency).
12.4 : Lateral separation during dumping : 10 NM ahead and beside, 50 NM behind. Vertical separation 1000' above, 3000' below.
12.5 : Advise supervisor (he advises SAR), adjacent sectors (controlled or not), military ATC.

All the sectors on your route to destination are advised one after another. You are treated as a PAN-PAN, even though you don't declare it.

We MUST file a report. Basic details are requested. Just the same as MOR, we call them FNEs (Event Notification Files)
Afterwards, Safety and Quality Service will look at recordings to check how controllers made their job and will provide new recommandations if something went wrong.
Your company's advised (I think). You deal with your boss whether dumping was needed or not, not our problem anymore.

A fuel dumping, a diversion or any ATC service related to safety/emergency is absolutely free in France (not only in aviation). Or, to say it in other words, the price of it is included in ATC taxes. I believe that even a fighter taking off to save you is free.

Maybe you had a trainee controller on frequency. Maybe it was his/her first dumping. A dumping takes a lot of space, some of our sectors are quite narrow. Requires a lot of brain capacity. Hence the check-list.

The "data entry form" was the check-list.

[Radar]

Capt. Groper,

The 'rules' vary according to which FIR you're operating in. Our Ops Manual dictates that , for the Dutch airspace, fuel dumping is only permissable if the commander has declared an emergency and then dumping would preferably take place over the North Sea. However. if an emergency has been declared, you call the shots. Period.

As far as reporting goes, we log the details of the event for our reporting. It does not automatically get escalated up the line.