A large-scale fuel dumping occurred on September 11 , 2001 , when U.S. airspace was closed due to the September 11 attacks . International flights en route to the U.S. were either turned back to their point of origin or diverted to land in Canada and other countries . Many of these flights were fueled for travel well into the American interior ; for those mid-flight aircraft unable to land due to excessive fuel weight , dumping was necessary
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Fuel dumping