Airlines (Commonwealth Union)_ an Airbus A321neo aircraft touched down sharply at Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG), on January 28. The incident took place shortly after 14:00 local time, upon completion of American Airlines Flight 271 from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The aircraft touched down hard on the airport’s runway 02/20, resulting in six people being injured. According to the Maui Police Department, all the five cabin crew members and one passenger remain in stable condition.
No damage was reported at the time to the aircraft, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a full investigation of the incident. The A321, carrying 167 passengers alongside seven crew members, has been removed from service pending inspection, according to NBC News.
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Incident details
The aircraft performed what FAA referred to as a “hard landing” while on final approach at Kahului Airport. 14 miles per hour winds alongside 80-degree temperatures were reported at the time of the incident, as reported by Beat of Hawaii.
There has been no comment about whether the windy conditions played a role in the aircraft’s rough landing, from the FAA. Not much is known about the cause of the incident, with the organization only releasing the following statement:
“American Airlines Flight 271, an Airbus A320, made a hard landing on Runway 20 at Kahului Airport in Hawaii at approximately 2 p.m. local time. The FAA will investigate.”
The Aviation Herald published information that the aircraft rolled comfortably off the runway and taxied to the gate normally and the uninjured passengers were then able to deplane without any difficulty.
The crew members and passengers who were injured following the incident were quickly rushed to the hospital, where their condition remains stable. The following comment was provided by American Airlines to Simple Flying regarding the incident:
“American Airlines flight 271 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG) experienced an issue upon landing in OGG. The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally. The aircraft was taken out of service for inspection by our maintenance team. The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority.”
What is a hard landing?
A hard landing takes place when an aircraft touches down with a higher angle of attack than desirable, which can, in extreme cases, lead passengers to be injured. While hard landings are extremely rare under ideal conditions, wind, precipitation, and visibility issues can drastically increase the risk of such events taking place,
Another major cause of hard landings however, is pilot error, which will likely be one of the key factors that FAA investigators will need to scrutinize in close detail. Wind shear, mechanical issues, and even runway conditions can also play a role in causing these types of accidents.
As a result of hard landings, Aircraft could also sustain heavy damage which is likely the primary reason behind American’s decision to remove the jet in question from service. The stress of high landing forces can cause structural damage to the plane and can require the replacement of landing gear components and tires.
It was reported by Beat of Hawaii that a similar incident had occurred at Kahului Airport last year. Crosswind conditions were also present at the time of the hard landing, alongside major turbulence during final approach, according to the news outlet’s reports.
