# Does frozen pee fall from airplanes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903 "2002-06-19T16:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/1 "2002-06-19T16:32:45Z")
Does frozen pee fall from airplane toilets? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/2 "2002-06-19T16:53:52Z")
I think it’s illegal for airplanes to dump waste while in flight. Every now and then, however, you hear about “blue ice” falling onto someone’s house, so it does occasionally happen. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/3 "2002-06-19T17:04:18Z")
Only in bad puns from Spider Robinson books. The punchline is something like “No matter where you go, you can never be completely safe from an icy BM.” ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/4 "2002-06-19T22:13:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > \*\*I think it’s illegal for airplanes to dump waste while in flight. Every now and then, however, you hear about “blue ice” falling onto someone’s house, so it does occasionally happen. \*\* These days, the valves that dump commercial aircraft waste tanks are only operable on the ground. I suppose a valve could fail in flight, but that’s gotta be pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/5 "2002-06-19T23:44:41Z")
I should qualify my definitive statement above: _As far as I know_, the valves that dump commercial aircraft waste tanks are only operable on the ground. [sub]And how do I know? I’m an aerospace engineer with experience at Boeing and Bombardier. I’m guessing that Airbus and other manufacturers’ aircraft waste tanks operate the same way.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Anomalocaris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b77776/32.png) [@Anomalocaris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalocaris)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/6 "2002-06-19T23:57:32Z")
Isn’t it true that some airplanes (presumably smaller ones) can dump their wate in case of emergency to lighten their load? (The same reason they can dump their fuel reserves mid-flight?) ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/7 "2002-06-20T00:21:48Z")
Not in my experience. The tiny quantity of weight lost (compared to the weight of a whole airplane) wouldn’t make a significant difference to the aircraft’s flying qualities or range. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/8 "2002-06-20T00:48:05Z")
The dentist has me all doped up today, so I apologize in advance for sounding as stupid as I really am. While in the Army I dropped plastic bags full of vomit, urine, etc out the back door of a chinook helicopter more than once. But commercial aircraft don’t dump their septic tanks until they’re on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/9 "2002-06-20T01:13:13Z")
THAT WAS YOU!? You sonofa… I’m gonna send you the dry cleaning bill! ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/10 "2002-06-20T12:59:05Z")
A few years ago, our local newspaper reported that a large ball of frozen excrement fell out of an airplane and through the glass roof of a local greenhouse. So it CAN happen! ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/11 "2002-06-20T13:21:22Z")
Back in the day, I worked on the ramp at O’hare in Chicago. One of my jobs was the “Lav Truck.” Ah, memories. In order to empty the contents of the lavatory you have to remove a safety plug _and_ pull a release handle. So while it’s possible that the release valve and the safety plug (and the little access door, for that matter) to fail, it isn’t likely. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/12 "2002-06-20T14:00:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by acsenray \* > \*\*Does frozen pee fall from airplane toilets? \*\* Yes. Haven’t you seen the contrails? ---
**Author:** ![thisisthetruthbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@thisisthetruthbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thisisthetruthbro)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/13 "2013-03-05T22:50:55Z")
[http://now.msn.com/caroline-guy-alarmed-when-frozen-airplane-waste-crashes-through-roof?GT1=50501](http://now.msn.com/caroline-guy-alarmed-when-frozen-airplane-waste-crashes-through-roof?GT1=50501) ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/14 "2013-03-05T23:05:20Z")
Zombie airplane pee! It takes 11 years to hit the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/15 "2013-03-06T20:44:09Z")
I think frozen peas are served with the meals. (Well, _Somebody_ had to say it!) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/16 "2013-03-06T20:49:05Z")
> [@thisisthetruthbro](#): > > [http://now.msn.com/caroline-guy-alarmed-when-frozen-airplane-waste-crashes-through-roof?GT1=50501](http://now.msn.com/caroline-guy-alarmed-when-frozen-airplane-waste-crashes-through-roof?GT1=50501) Of all the people in the world, frozen pee almost hit Martha Stewart? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/17 "2013-03-06T21:17:37Z")
I believe comedian Robert Klein proposed the term _Pissberg_ to describe these frozen collections of airplane passenger waste. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-frozen-pee-fall-from-airplanes/114903/18 "2013-03-07T00:21:14Z")
She’s keeping the ice in her freezer as a “memento”? Ew.