Most situations where an airliner returns to the airport don't involve any sort of crash landing, and don't have a significantly higher risk than normal of igniting fuel in the tanks.
To use the 787 Dreamliner[0] as an example, the maximum landing weight is around 120,000 pounds less than the maximum take-off weight. Even a 737 [1] has to fly an hour or so to burn off enough fuel for landing (assuming it is fully loaded to begin with), or dump it into the air if it's urgent.
To use the 787 Dreamliner[0] as an example, the maximum landing weight is around 120,000 pounds less than the maximum take-off weight. Even a 737 [1] has to fly an hour or so to burn off enough fuel for landing (assuming it is fully loaded to begin with), or dump it into the air if it's urgent.
[0] https://modernairliners.com/boeing-787-dreamliner/boeing-787...
[1] https://modernairliners.com/boeing-737/boeing-737-specificat...