Jan
30
How much fuel is carried on an airplane?
Filed Under Aircraft
asked:
How much fuel is carried on an airplane? I saw a movie once where an airplane landed on a building and it did not burn up or the building fall down but with 911 airplanes the building went down. Is there enough fuel in an airplane for it to be use like a bomb? I really do not buy in to conspiratory theories. But I have been worring if it was more to it then this. So how much fuel is carried on a airplane? And could this be real?
PHILLIP
How much fuel is carried on an airplane? I saw a movie once where an airplane landed on a building and it did not burn up or the building fall down but with 911 airplanes the building went down. Is there enough fuel in an airplane for it to be use like a bomb? I really do not buy in to conspiratory theories. But I have been worring if it was more to it then this. So how much fuel is carried on a airplane? And could this be real?
PHILLIP
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7 Responses to “How much fuel is carried on an airplane?”
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KIRBY
more than enough, that is why they have to circle if there is a problem, to burn off the fuel
WARREN
It depends upon the airplane. Small aircraft carry little more than a car does.
It should be pretty obvious from what transpired on 9/11 that a fully laden airliner at cruise speed makes a very effective bomb. Buildings were never designed for that type of impact. The assumptions on aircraft impact on a skyscraper assume a low fuel load and low airspeed on approach for landing. Those were clearly not the conditions on 9/11.
SHAWN
It also depends on the destination. The planes for 9\11 were fueled for cross country flights. If the flight was for say Boston to New York, the plane would have far less fuel.
NELSON
The normal fuel load for an airplane is something like this:-
Fuel to get from the origin to the destination
+
Fuel to get to alternate
+
45 mins of flying time
+
Contingency fuel( for unseen circumstances)
Some airlines incorporate a safety margin. ie. a few extra hundred pounds. And after a specific ammount has been burned (ie down to 5,000lbs, you might have to explain to the company why fuel got so low)
For a fuel fed fire to erupt on a building hit by a plane, the fuel tanks have to be punctured. An impact like that would shurley puncture everything.
Fuel burn rates are determined by the dispatcher, although the PIC can take as much fuel as he wants.
There certainly was enough fuel for a bomb. A load of 30 tonnes of fuel for a cross country flight on a 757 is not a surprise. Although I am unaware of the actual level carried on board the 9/11 flights.
HORACIO
it depends on the size of the airplane ,and how large the fuel tank.Single engine,small airplanes(like a Cessna 152)carry only 35-45 gals.Large heavy class airplanes can carry 30 tons of fuel.You always want to carry enought to complete your flight ,plus have reserves.But remember ,every gallon of extra fuel carried,has weight ,and extra fuel must be burned just to carry it.
STEVE
The aircraft involved in 9/11 were large airplanes fueled for a transcontinental flight. The action by the terrorists were taken not long after take-off knowing that there would a great amount of fuel in the tanks - precisely why these particular flights were selected. Generally, commercial aircraft are fueled with just enough plus a little extra ( in case of diversion or a holding pattern) to get them to their destination. This cuts down on cost by allowing the planes to be as dynamically effecicient as possible.
SCOT
With our aux tanks filled, our executive 727 holds seventy thousand pounds of jet fuel. A little over ten thousand gallons.