EXCLUSIVEPassengers on horror American Airlines flight say aircraft began dropping in altitude before it made dramatic U-turn back to LAX
Passengers were left in uproar after horrendous American Airlines flight that made a dramatic U-turn mid-journey as they battled unhelpful staff to find out information.
Passengers were left in uproar after horrendous American Airlines flight that made a dramatic U-turn mid-journey as they battled unhelpful staff to find out information.
Flight 73 took off from Los Angeles at 10.30pm on Wednesday on its way to Sydney before turning back around over the Pacific Ocean at 11.02pm, according to flight data.
Travelers said they had no warning when the plane turned around, and even the flight attendants had no idea what was going on.
My wife and I were on this flight, it was horrendous, Australian passenger Chad Randall told DailyMail.com.
Just as they were serving the last people on the back of the plane, we noticed on the screen the plane had turned around.
Then all of a sudden it started dropping in altitude, no word from flight deck or anything. It was scary.
This American Airlines plane had to turn back just half an hour after takeoff and make an emergency landing back where it started in Los Angeles. It landed safely back at LAX at 1.50am on Thursday (pictured)
The Boeing 777-300ER plane safely landed back in LA at 1.50am with no injuries reported.
American Airlines said the issue was an indicator light warning that there was a problem with the cargo bay door.
However, when the plane was examined, maintenance workers found no problem with the door and concluded the light malfunctioned.
Another passenger, who asked not to be named, said flight attendants hadnt told them anything either because they didnt know what was happening.
When asked about flying back to LAX all I got was "it appears so", he said.
Flight 73 took off from Los Angeles at 10.30pm on Wednesday on its way to Sydney but made a U-turn over the Pacific Ocean at 11.02pm, according to flight data
He recalled the plane had circled and dumped fuel near LA before making an emergency landing surrounded by emergency vehicles and fire trucks.
Once landed, the captain told us that marketing said there was no hotels for us to stay in, he said.
We deplaned and there was bottles of water and cans of soda available as well as some pretzels.
They gave us $24 per person as a meal allowance. Not all places accepted them, after 25 minutes of waiting in the Starbucks line, they said they didnt accept them.
The passenger said the airport was having construction work done overnight, making it almost impossible to sleep.
As someone who cant sleep unless Im in a bed, I was awake for roughly 44 hours by the time we touched down in Sydney, he said.
That was bad enough, but what only made it worse was American Airlines communication as he said all the staff were rude and generally not helpful, appearing clueless at almost every point of the saga.
The passenger then explained that they were no longer checked in and had lost the upgraded seats he and his travel companion paid $180 extra for.
Because of the re-check in, peoples information about the flight was also missing, just like my seats, he said.
One flight passenger said that what was worse than not sleeping for 44 hours was the communication from American Airlines, who he claimed were rude and generally not helpful
I overheard a couple discussing with a flight attendant as I got on the plane that the information about his gluten-free meal wasnt recorded by AA staff when he checked in to the delayed flight and he needed to inform the flight attendant on the plane.
The plane staff couldnt accommodate as the meals had already been loaded.
He said the new flight was supposed to leave at 11am, already a 12.5-hour delay, but didnt take off until 1.35pm.
As a result, passengers were told the flight may miss Sydneys 11pm curfew. If they did, they would have to land somewhere else.
The plane ended up landing at 10.41pm, according to flight data, with just 19 minutes to spare.
Overall, I completely understand the situation in having to be turned around, especially with all the recent Boeing news.
But honestly the staff took no responsibility, werent helpful and generally rude. Thats what pinched a nerve.
Daily Mail has contacted American Airlines for comment.
This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 8, 2024, in Portland, Oregon
Passengers across the world have become increasingly wary of Boeing flights, as recounts of scary flight experiences are being heard more often.
Just earlier this year, passengers vowed to boycott Boeing flights after a horrifying flight that injured 70 people and killed a 73-year-old passenger, Geoffrey Kitchen.
The Boeing 777 aircraft, travelling from London to Singapore, had hit an air pocket causing it to plummet 6,000 feet in just five minutes.
Boeing issued a statement saying that the company was ready to support Singapore Airlines and extended their deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.
The harrowing story came just months after a Boeing Max aircraft had a door plug fly off midflight, while it was 16,000 feet in the air.
A United Airlines plane had grounded in March after the Boeing 737-824 was found to have lost a panel midflight.
Another flight in October 2023, saw a Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying around 200 passengers suffer from a catastrophic failure causing it to skid off the runway and crash at Leeds airport.
Users on X/Twitter have started vowing they would never fly Boeing again, after the stories of injuries, failures or emergency landings just this year.
One wrote: When I book a flight in 2024. Nonstop. Aisle seat. Not a Boeing plane. Then recheck number 3. Triple check its not a Boeing.
Full timeline of Boeing problems in 2024
January 5
On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
That part is designed to replace an unneeded emergency exit door, and it blew out within just 20 minutes of takeoff.
An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two mobile phones, a childs t-shirt were all said to have have flown out during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s in the aftermath and six of the flights passengers went on to sue the airline.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines also went on to find loose parts on their grounded jets door plugs.
On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California
The missing door panel was found in a high school physics teachers back yard
January 16
An anonymous whistleblower broke rank to say that the door plug blowout was Boeings fault, rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
First reported by The Seattle Times, they claimed the fuselage panel was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly at its Washington factory
The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeings own records, they wrote on aviation site Leeham News.
It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business.
February 6
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said that the January 5 incident was down to four crucial bolds being missing from the panel which blew out.
February 21
Boeings 737 Max program chief, Ed Clark, was reportedly fired in a structural shakeup at the company.
Clark was also general manager at the companys Renton, Washington, facility and had been at Boeing for 18 years.
He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, while a senior vice president of quality role was created too.
March 3
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to some sort of gear collapse.
Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder.
A Boeing 737 Max operated by United Airlines veered off the tarmac into the grass when exiting the runway at George Bush Airport in Houston early Friday
March 4
An audit by the FAA of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
March 6
The head of the NTSB accused Boeing of not cooperating with its investigation into the January incident.
Jennifer Homendy said investigators sought the names of the 25 people who work on door plugs at the Renton facility, but had not received them from Boeing.
She told a Senate Committee hearing it is absurd that two months later we dont have it.
However, Boeing spokesperson Connor Greenwood pushed back and insisted that names of employees were provided early in the investigation.
The same day, a 737s engine caught fire in mid-air above Texas, causing an emergency landing minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida.
March 7
A wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below.
The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and landed safely with no further incident and no injuries reported on the ground.
March 9
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 - a former quality control manager and employee of 32 years - was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against the company in a lawsuit.
The coroner put it down to a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the head, though the police confirmed that they would investigate further.
Barnett had made a string of complaints to his higher-ups in his time as a quality control manager before leaving the company on health grounds in 2017.
In January 2024, he appeared on TMZ to say that the 737 Max 9 aircraft were being launched back into the air too soon in the wake of the accident, suggesting corners had been cut.
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against his former employer
March 11
A Boeing 777 was was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area.
The forced landing happened as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage.
March 15
A United Airlines 737 was grounded after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down successfully in Medford Airport, Oregon, despite the missing part.
March 20
A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after an engine blow out on take-off from Aruba.
The Delta flight circled the Caribbean island four times before coming back into land following the mechanical issue.
March 29
United Airlines flight 990 - a Boeing 777-200 - from San Francisco to Paris had to touch down early in Denver after engine problems.
April 4
Alaska Airlines announced that they had received $160 million in compensation from Boeing after their 737 Max 9s were grounded following the January 5 door blowout.
The amount was equal to the revenue lost according to a filing from the airline, but Alaska added that it anticipated receiving extra compensation too.
April 10
Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, came forward in a Senate committee hearing to accuse Boeing of taking shortcuts when building its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and added that the company had retaliated against him when he raised concerns.
He doubled down on the claims a week later, adding on NBC that 787s should be grounded fearing fatal flaws which could case them to fall apart mid-air.
In a 1,500 word statement, Boeing said it was fully confident in the 787 and called concerns about structural integrity inaccurate.
Pictured: Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour testifies before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations on April 17
April 11
An internal Boeing review in response to an initial Wall Street Journal investigation found that CEO Dave Calhoun and other bosses at the aviation firm spent $500,000 on company private jets for personal trips which were improperly recorded as business travel.
Boeings review concluded that some of the flights taken by executives in 2021 and 2022 were not previously classified as perquisites by the company.
In the companys proxy filing on April 5, Boeing said that these flights should have been classified as such in accordance with SEC rules and guidance.
April 16
United Airlines indicated it will reduce reliance on Boeing after announcing a $124m loss in the first quarter of 2024, which it blamed on the scandal-laden manufacturer.
April 24
Boeings CEO assured investors after a first-quarter loss of $355m was announced which coincided with a six per cent dip in share prices.
Calhoun added that he had a successor lined up for his departure at the end of 2024 who would come from inside the company.
April 26
Delta flight 520 was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport when an emergency slide fell off the Boeing 767 an hour into its journey to Los Angeles.
FAA records indicated that the plane was 33 years old.
April 30
Joshua Dean (pictured) died suddenly on April 30 aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets
Dean was employed by Spirit AeroSystems based in Wichita, Kansas
A second whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died suddenly aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets.
The former Spirit employee previously said he was fired from his quality auditing role for questioning standards at the suppliers plant in Wichita, Kansas, in October 2022.
His family said on social media that Dean died in hospital after a sudden illness.
Earlier in 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about being fired. I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you, he said.
May 6
The US Federal Aviation Administration revealed it has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company reported that workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records on certain 787 planes.
Boeing said its engineers have determined that misconduct did not create an immediate safety of flight issue.
No planes have been taken out of service, but having to perform the test out of order on planes will slow the delivery of jets still being built at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Boeing must also create a plan to address planes that are already flying, the FAA said.
Shocking footage showed the moment the plane attempted an emergency landing, smashing down into the runway and scraping its nose along the concrete
May 8
A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport without the front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Turkeys transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.
The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said in its statement.
Airport rescue and fire fighting teams made necessary preparations on the runway before landing, and no one was injured, the ministry also said, without giving a reason for the failure.
Footage showed sparks flying and smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before being doused with firefighting foam.
May 9
A Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 planes front tire burst upon landing at an airport in southern Turkey on Thursday, the Turkish transport minister said, adding there were no casualties and all 190 passengers and crew were evacuated.
The front landing gear strut was damaged on the Corendon Airlines plane, arriving from Cologne, Germany, as it landed at Alanya-Gazipasa airport in Antalya.
The same day, a Boeing passenger plane came off the runway during takeoff from Dakar international airport, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for hours.
A Boeing 738 plane of Corendon Airlines that operated Cologne-Antalya flight gets stuck on runway due to a burst tire in Antalya, Turkiye on May 9, 2024
Pictures from the scene in Turkey showed the stationary aircraft on the tarmac flanked by emergency vehicles - its front wheels and landing gear crumpled underneath. Corendon Airlines denied Turkish reports that the aircraft had landed on its nose
In this grab taken from video people jump down emergency slides, running from a plane, in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegals capital, injuring 11 people
The Air Senegal flight was bound for the Malian capital Bamako and had 78 passengers on board, plus a crew of six including two pilots, airport management company LAS said in a statement.
Images showed the aircraft in an overgrown area with first aiders surrounding an injured person. Smoke and flames are also visible near the plane.
Also on May 9, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating statements made by Boeing Co. about its safety practices after a mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX flight in January.
The SEC will examine whether the planemaker or its executives misled investors in violation of the Wall Street regulators rules, the report said, citing three people familiar with the development.
May 14
Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago, the Justice Department told a federal judge.
It is now up to the Justice Department (DOJ) to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the department said.
May 21
One person died and others were injured on a flight from London to Singapore which plummeted 6,000ft in five minutes before making an emergency landing in Thailand.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left the UKs Heathrow airport on Monday evening at 22.17pm local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence while flying close to Myanmar airspace in a region being battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.
Pictured: Passengers are seen in the cabin after the incident on Tuesday, with belongings strewn across the floor and oxygen masks dangling from above
Passengers are seen on the Singapore Airlines plane after it made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling, as did other components
Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, (pictured) who ran the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol, was on board the plane when the incident happened
After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes as it finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand.
Boeing said: We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.
