Two American Airlines planes suffered emergencies while using the same airport in Arizona within 15 minutes of one another, air traffic control audio reveals.
On Friday, an Airbus operated by the airline was flying from Washington, D.C., into Phoenix around 10 a.m. MT (noon ET) when the flight crew reported a flap failure. Then, at 10:12 a.m., another Airbus taking off from Phoenix, headed for Mexico, reported low oil pressure in one of its engines and requested to return to the airport.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told Newsweek the similar timing of the two incidents was "purely coincidental" and apologized to those affected by them.
After around half an hour circling over the airport, the flight from Washington, D.C., was able to land, while the one to Mexico returned around 20 minutes after take-off.
Flights declaring emergencies can be more common than people think; according to FlightRadar, at least a few do so every day. An emergency can be declared for a whole host of different reasons—from onboard medical issues to problems with the aircraft—and many do not require immediate action on the ground, but are rather to alert flight control and airport first responders to a situation.
In many cases, a flight will be diverted to a nearby airport or will return to its airport of origin. Flight control there will have to ensure that a runway is clear for an emergency landing.
According to flight control audio, after the flight crew on the first American Airlines plane declared an emergency, the pilot told flight control at Phoenix that there were 197 people onboard and the aircraft had two hours of fuel left, before requesting a longer final approach.
The plane was then put in a holding pattern over Phoenix. Around the same time, the other American Airlines flight was preparing for take-off. Approximately two minutes after departure, it reported low oil pressure in its number two engine.
Asked by flight control if it was "super time-sensitive," the pilot confirmed it was.
While the plane with a flap failure was circling over the west of the city, the second began turning southward to return to the airport. The pilot says there are 132 people on board and it is carrying 23,400 pounds.
Around 12 minutes past the hour, the first flight found out about the issue on the second.
"I'm going to keep you in a hold for a second," the flight controller told it. "Your company is coming in. Got an issue."
The second plane's pilot then asked to continue heading west for a few miles.
"We're going to need your longest runway available with the flight control problem we've got," the pilot in the first plane told flight control, expressing a desire to "get this bird on the ground."
The second plane then turned eastward and began its final descent, while fire crews on the ground were alerted to the planes' respective expected times of arrival. The pilot told flight control the second engine had also lost a quantity of oil.
The second flight returned to Phoenix airport around 10:30 a.m. local time, and flight data shows it was able to take off a few hours later and successfully make it to Guadalajara, in central western Mexico.
Around seven minutes later, the first flight successfully landed on another runway. Flight data shows the plane has since continued to carry passengers along the same route.
"There were two flights impacted by separate and unrelated mechanical issues in Phoenix," an American Airlines spokesperson explained. "Both flights landed without incident and taxied to the gate under their own power where customers deplaned normally.
"Both aircraft were inspected by American's maintenance team upon arrival, and any customer whose travel plans were interrupted were re-accommodated on alternate flights. We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience."
It is not the first close call with an American Airlines flight this year. Last week, flight data suggested an American Airlines plane nearly collided with another aircraft while landing at John F. Kennedy airport in New York, while in April, an American Airlines plane bound for Phoenix was forced into an emergency landing after a bird strike caused an engine to catch fire.
Update 12/07/23, 3:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from an American Airlines spokesperson.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aleks Phillips is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. ... Read more
