American Airlines 787-9 bound for Tokyo diverts to Los Angeles
An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 flying from New York to Tokyo turned back over Alaska after a technical problem and landed at Los Angeles International Airport. Passengers were due to continue to Tokyo the next day.
An American Airlines flight from New York to Tokyo diverted to Los Angeles International Airport after the crew reported a technical malfunction during the transpacific leg.
Flight AA167 departed John F. Kennedy International Airport at 10:45 AM EDT on Wednesday, September 23, according to airline operations. The Boeing 787-9, registered N824AN, climbed to 34,000 feet and flew a polar route across Canada.
About five hours in, near the border of Alaska, the crew identified the problem. The aircraft turned back toward the continental United States rather than continuing across the Pacific.
It was directed to Los Angeles instead of closer airports such as Vancouver or Seattle. Operations centres often send complex diversions to major hubs, where maintenance staffing, a replacement aircraft and passenger accommodation are more readily available.
The Dreamliner landed safely shortly after 5:00 PM PDT on September 23, having been airborne for more than 10 hours. The airline said the aircraft is being inspected to resolve the technical issue, and that the passengers were scheduled to resume their journey to Tokyo Haneda Airport later on September 24.
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Sources
- airlive.netTokyo-bound American Airlines Boeing 787-9 diverted to LAX after 10 hours in air