AA Flew Passengers Across Pacific on Uncertified A321
Jeff Edwards September 15, 2015
American Airlines confirmed that an August 31 flight departed for Hawaii before anyone on the ground realized that the aircraft was not equipped to fly the long-haul flight over the Pacific.
Shortly after American Airlines Flight 31 took off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for Honolulu International Airport (HNL) on August 31, the airline contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to report that the aircraft being used was not certified to make the trip across the Pacific Ocean. The airline admitted that it had mistakenly used an Airbus A321 not equipped to make the long-haul flight to Hawaii and didn’t catch the error until after the jet had already departed.
After consulting with the FAA, the decision was made to allow the flight to complete its journey to HNL.
The aircraft in question reportedly lacked the proper Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) certification to make the trip across the ocean. Commercial planes flying long-haul routes across water without the option of diverting to a nearby airport in an emergency are required to be equipped with additional fire suppression devices and medical supplies.
While the A321 used for the flight is virtually identical to the A321 that is authorized for use on the route, the aircraft that took passengers to Hawaii did not have the additional equipment installed and was not authorized to make the journey with passengers onboard.
“When we realized what happened, we immediately notified the FAA and began a thorough review of our procedures,” American said in a statement. “Already, we have revised our software to properly identify the correct aircraft are operating the correct routes.”
Though the plane was allowed to complete its flight to Hawaii, no passengers were permitted onboard when the plane made the return trip to LAX the following day.
[Photo: American Airlines]
