Part 7/10:
Informed of the situation, the airport emergency services prepared for the plane’s return. Meanwhile, the crew was faced with the daunting task of calculating fuel requirements to ensure a safe prioritization among emergency handling measures—a task made harder given the vague indicators of their aircraft's true condition.
Fuel Dumps and Uncertain Futures
With heavy fuel load complicating their fate, the pilots decided to offload as much as they could without compromising backup fuel reserves for additional landing attempts. This effort was achievable but risky—landing the aircraft would still put them over the maximum weight limit and push the boundaries of safety.