The teachers said they sought medical treatment after the incident and experienced physical and emotional pain.
Delta said in the lawsuit settlement reached Monday that one of the plane’s two engines lost thrust shortly after takeoff and that the plane, which was carrying enough fuel for the 13-hour flight, exceeded its maximum landing weight by around 160,000 pounds.
The weight of a full load of fuel carries a risk of damaging a jetliner during landing — which can be expensive for an airline to fix. Even if there isn’t damage, airlines try to avoid overweight landings because they are required to inspect planes, which puts them out of service.
The pilots decided to dump fuel “to reduce the serious risks of flying and landing an overweight airplane on just one engine.” the airline said in court documents.
Delta said in court documents that it agreed to the settlement without any admission of liability to avoid the legal expenses of a trial and “to eliminate the distraction and other burdens this litigation has caused to Delta’s business.”
Delta did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
