Fuel spill contained at MacArthur Airport

A malfunctioning valve led to a jet fuel spill from a tanker truck Thursday morning at Long Island MacArthur Airport, officials said.

A spokeswoman for the Town of Islip, which operates the Ronkonkoma airport, said the spill was contained -- and did not disrupt flights.

Spokeswoman Inez Birbiglia said the incident involved a Sheltair tanker truck and occurred near a fueling center away from airplanes and the tarmac area at about 8 a.m.

She said one employee, who was exposed to a small amount of the fuel, needed to be decontaminated but was not injured.

There was no fire.

Responders from the Long Island MacArthur Airport Fire Rescue Hazmat Team and an outside cleanup company contained the spill, which Birbiglia said did not contaminate any groundwater sources.

She also said the Department of Environmental Conservation was notified, as required.

Patricia Junge, the Sheltair general manager at MacArthur, said the spill involved about 60 gallons of aviation fuel -- not the 110 gallons originally reported by airport officials.

"Nothing hit any natural resources or any storm drains, and everything was contained," Junge said, adding that the spill was cleaned up with oversight from DEC officials.