KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

A jet fuel leak at Tullahoma Municipal Airport has been investigated and deemed accidental by the Coffee County Emergency Management Agency.  

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Nov. 18, an independent investigation performed by the Coffee County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) found the cause of the leak to be accidental with contributing factors being from human error, historical deficiencies in training and operating procedures for the fuel sump process, and a fuel valve without a locking mechanism.

“When the leak was discovered at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, emergency crews, including the Tullahoma Fire Department, Department of Safety and Codes, and Coffee County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA), responded immediately and began containment procedures,” Community Engagement Officer Lyle Russell said. “The plume did not reach Rock Creek due to the speed of the response but rather spread to a nearby retention pond. From there, abatement teams from Ozone Environmental Service completed the clean-up process over the following days until all spilled fuel was contained and mitigated.”

According to the investigation report from CCEMA, the release was caused by the sump valve that was on the back of the fuel pump box housing that had been flowing for an unknown amount of time.

“When CCEMA arrived on scene there was a bucket that was hanging on the valve handle and the valve was approximately ¾ the way open with the Jet-A fuel flowing from the pipe that was connected to the sump valve,” CCEMA Deputy Director Wade Evans said in the report. “The valve was shut off, and the bucket was removed from the valve and placed on the ground. The Tullahoma Fire Department along with CCEMA then started the containment process stopping the flow into the storm water system.”

Russell continued and said the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency was notified and alerted state agencies including the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. In addition, a report was made to the National Response Center, the designated federal point of contact for reporting all chemical discharges into the environment anywhere in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration and Environmental Protection Agency were also notified.

“The first Tullahoma Fire Department unit arrived on scene within six minutes, beginning immediate containment and control measures with absorbent materials,” Russell said. “Additional units arrived on scene over the next eleven minutes, including CCEMA, airport management, Department of Safety and Codes, and Ozone Environmental Service, and worked throughout the night.”

As adjacent businesses opened for the day, fire department crews swept nearby buildings with gas monitors. No hazardous readings were detected, and facilities remained open throughout the incident. No injuries or health concerns have been reported. TDEC officials visited the spill site the following day and praised the response and rapid mobilization. Ozone Environmental Service also commended local first responders’ efforts as “textbook.”

Airport operations and fuel sales remained open throughout the incident and were not impacted. Air Park Drive adjacent to the airport was partially closed during remaining mitigation work as a precautionary measure. Soil remediation around the leak site and at the retention pond area where the fuel was stopped is complete.

In the investigation report, Evans and Safety Director Nick Kimbro met with the Titan Fuel representative Steve Johnson on Nov. 5 to determine the standard operating procedure that is followed at other airport and fuel locations. Per the report, discussions included the locations where the bucket is usually located and the type of valves that are used.

“The Titan fuel representative stated that the bucket is not stored on the pipe or the valve that they are usually located in a cabinet near the area,” Evans said in the report. “He also stated that the ball valve in question is still seen in many airports where older tanks are in use, but they do recommend that they are swapped out to spring loaded ball valves on the sump lines.”

The investigation report listed two hypotheses about the potential cause of the leak. The first hypothesis stated that the airport staff believed the wind and rain on the night of the leak was the cause. Evans and Kimbro collected data from both the KTHA weather station and from the chief meteorologist with NWS Nashville Kissy Hurley for the time that the leak occurred. According to the data they gathered, the average wind speed varied from 6 to 11 mph sustained with gusts up to 20 mph, while the rainfall total was at .04 inches.

The second hypothesis presented in the report stated that the bucket that was usually hanging behind the valve was hung in the wrong area instead of the handle of the bucket being behind the sump valve it was on the handle of the sump valve. This, along with the bucket being half full of water, was able to crack open the sump valve or the valve being left crack open with a small amount of fuel being released. The more the bucket filled up the more it would open the valve. The more fuel that was being discharge the more pressure and the more it would open the ball valve.

The full independent investigation report from the CCEMA can be read here: