An American Airlines Airbus A321neo suffered a hard landing when landing at Maui in Hawaii on January 28, 2204. The incident resulted in six passengers and crew being injured and requiring hospital treatment.
The incident involved American Airlines flight AA271 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui Kahului International Airport (OGG) operated by one of American’s 298-strong fleet of Airbus 321neos registered N416AN. The flight had 167 passengers and seven crew onboard.
According to reports, the flight had almost completed its five hours 30 minutes sector across the Pacific Ocean without incident. However, upon landing on Maui’s runway 20, the aircraft sank and touched down hard on the runway’s surface. Weather conditions at the time of the landing were described as “blustery” with the wind at 17 knots gusting up to 25 knots and an outside air temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).
Following the touchdown, the aircraft continued its rollout along the runway and taxied to the terminal under its own power.
The hard landing resulted in the hospitalization of six cabin crew members and one passenger. According to a statement issued by the Maui Police Department, all six individuals remain in stable condition. Except for the injured passenger, all the remaining passengers were able to disembark in a normal manner.
The aircraft was reported to be undamaged in the landing incident. However, the aircraft has been taken out of service pending further inspection and remains at Maui at the time of writing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that it will be launching a full inquiry into the incident.
The airline has yet to make any formal announcement regarding the incident, particularly regarding whether the windy conditions played any part in the hard landing.
According to ch-aviation, the aircraft involved in this latest incident was delivered to American Airlines in February 2020 making it just under four years old. The aircraft is configured to carry 196 passengers in total – 20 in business class, 47 in economy plus, and 129 in economy.
The incident is the second major incident for American Airlines during January 2024. On January 19, 2024, an American Airlines Embraer E145 regional jet with 53 passengers onboard suffered a runway excursion upon landing in snowy conditions in Rochester, New York. The incident did not result in any injuries to either passengers or crew, however.