[Brookhaven]

My point was, this stuff doesn’t just “fall off” an airplane. It has to be dumped deliberatly.

The article makes it sound like an accident or freak mishap.

[GraceG]

Mythbusters proved it can happen, it has to be a slow leak, but it can most certainly happen.

[montyspython]

I assume it would be the captain’s decision to execute the dump, unless Biden was in the lavatory at the time and Barry saw it as an opportunity.

[Clay Moore]

Usually the dump valve is slowly leaking and it makes an “iceberg” onthe outside.

[Bob]

My point was, this stuff doesn’t just “fall off” an airplane. It has to be dumped deliberatly.

The article makes it sound like an accident or freak mishap.

As far as I recall, there's no mechanism provided for an aircraft to dump its holding tanks in-flight. A leak can cause the liquid to freeze onto the outside of the plane at high altitude. The resulting ice sticks to the plane as long as it remains frozen. When the plane descends for landing, the ice can warm up, soften/melt, and fall off.

That's what apparently happened here. While it's an unusual occurrence, it does happen.