A stunning new report from the Los Angeles Times details how toxic jet engine fumes can leak into airplanes’ air supplies, sickening passengers and crew — and the airline industry has known this was a problem for several decades.
The Times reports that one pilot told colleagues the situation was “the tobacco and asbestos of aviation.”
A Times analysis of NASA safety reports from January 2018 to December 2019 identified 362 fume events that airline crew members reported to the agency, with nearly 400 pilots, flight attendants and passengers receiving medical attention.
“Fume events” occur when heated jet engine oil leaks into the air supply, causing toxic gases inside the plane.
Airlines and airplane makers are aware that fume events...
