Summary
- A tug-related incident has resulted in significant damage to an American Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft.
- The incident happened at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
- Over the past few years, the airline’s aircraft have been involved in several tug-related events.
An American Airlines Airbus A321ceo received substantial damage to its underside as well as its nose landing gear in an incident involving a tug at one of the airline’s main hubs, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). The alleged aircraft has not flown since April 21, 2024.
An incident during a pushback
According to pictures shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, the American Airlines Airbus A321ceo, allegedly registered as N136AN, was involved in an incident with a tug at CLT. The pictures showed substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage, as well as the nose landing gear of the aircraft.
Flightradar24 data showed that N136AN has not flown since it arrived at CLT from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on April 21, when it completed its third flight of the day. The aircraft landed at CLT at 14:37 local time (UTC -4).
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
The flight-tracking website’s records indicated that there are other Airbus A321 aircraft that have spent several days on the ground at CLT, including N174US, N927UW, and N153UW. However, unlike the A321ceo involved in the incident, the three have Airbus’ wingtip fences, while the A321 involved in the incident is equipped with Sharklets.
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Over the past few years, American Airlines aircraft have suffered several tug or pushback-related incidents, including one at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA). In August 2022, while being pushed from the hangar to the gate, a Boeing 737-800, registered as N949NN, collided with a tug, resulting in the latter being trapped underneath the former.
The aircraft is actively flying with American Airlines to this day, with the 737-800 operating its last flight on April 24. On that day, it flew at least three itineraries, namely from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Liberia Guanacaste International Airport (LIR), Costa Rica, back to DFW, and from DFW to El Paso International Airport (ELP). It is scheduled to return to DFW on April 25.
Meanwhile, another Airbus A321, registered as N193UW, was involved in a collision with a bus at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 10, 2023. Similarly, the A321 received substantial damage to its fuselage, as well as its nose structure. According to ch-aviation data, the aircraft is currently undergoing repairs at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).
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Renewing its short-haul fleet
Ch-aviation records showed that American Airlines has 133 Airbus A319ceo, 48 A320ceo, 218 A321ceo, and 303 Boeing 737-800 aircraft in its fleet, with an average age of 20.1, 23.1, 11.8, and 14.5, respectively. In March, the airline placed a massive order for three short-haul fleet aircraft: Airbus A321neo, Boeing 737 MAX 10, and Embraer E175.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
In total, the carrier ordered 260 aircraft, split between 85 A321neo, 85 737 MAX 10, and 90 E175s. Part of the order was American Airlines upgauging 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 to 737 MAX 10 aircraft, despite the latter still not being certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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