summary
- An Aer Lingus plane has been stranded in Washington DC for almost a week after being struck by its tail while attempting to land.
- The incident resulted in the cancellation of a return flight to Dublin and two other aircraft have been sent to temporarily cover the route.
- Aer Lingus is focusing on expanding its transatlantic capacity after experiencing recent incidents, including the diversion of a plane to Canada due to a medical emergency.
An Aer Lingus narrow-body jet has been stranded in the US for five days following reports of a tail attack. The Airbus A321neo arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Wednesday, August 30th, and has remained there ever since.
what happened?
The EI-LRD registered Airbus A321neo departed from Dublin Airport at 12:54, 19 minutes behind schedule. The crew appeared to make up for any delays during the flight, and the plane began its initial descent into the airport. At 3:37 p.m., four minutes before the scheduled arrival time, the aircraft reached an altitude of 450 feet before attempting to land again, according to flight tracking data.
The aircraft then proceeded to an altitude of 3000 feet and repositioned for another approach to Runway 01R. The second landing was successful, with passengers arriving at Dulles just 12 minutes later than originally scheduled.
Photo: FlightRadar24.com
According to the Aviation Herald, the crew later reported that the reason for the go-around was a “false landing” and that the aircraft collided with the tail in the process. Photos posted on the website show paint peeling off the tail of an Aer Lingus-painted aircraft. However, the images could not be independently verified at the time of publication.
What were the results?
The plane has since been grounded in Washington, DC. Return flight EI116 to Dublin was scheduled for 17:10 but was subsequently cancelled. Two other A321neos have previously flown this route and have been sent to provide assistance during this time.
No further movements were recorded on the potentially injured Airbus aircraft. The model first flew on February 24, 2020 and was delivered three days later. Economy class seats 168 people, with an additional 16 seats in the front. The aircraft is owned by Air Lease Corporation but has been flying for Aer Lingus since delivery.
Photo: MWAA
Simple Flying has contacted Aer Lingus and the Washington Metropolitan Area Airports Authority for more information.
make waves across the Atlantic Ocean
This is not the first such incident for Aer Lingus this month. Yesterday, flight EL45 from Manchester to New York changed its destination and arrived in Canada. The plane landed at St. John’s International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday afternoon after what an airport spokesperson described as a medical emergency. The aircraft remained on the ground briefly before completing the remaining 2.5 hour flight to New York JFK with flight number EUK9HR.
Transatlantic capability will be key for Aer Lingus next year. The carrier recently announced two more links for the summer. The airline plans to launch service to 19 cities across North America next summer, and will return to Minneapolis four times a week from May 17th.
sauce: aviation herald