Summary
- American Eagle Embraer E175 flight returns to PHL due to a possible mechanical fault after the one-hour flight.
- The crew landed safely as a precaution, no emergency was declared, and passengers were transferred to a new aircraft.
- Flight 4372 took off at 15:25 UTC and returned to PHL after 58 minutes. An E175 of 17.1 years old was involved.
On Saturday morning, an American Eagle Embraer E175 returned to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) without completing its trip after experiencing a technical fault. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to Memphis International Airport (MEM), which usually takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Simple Flying has contacted American Airlines regarding the issue and is waiting for a comment clarifying the details of the incident.
The incident
American Airlines Flight 4372, operated by Republic Airlines, contracted to operate regional flights for the carrier under the American Eagle brand, returned to PHL after one hour of flight time.
According to CBS News, the crew decided to land the aircraft out of caution after it experienced a “potential mechanical failure,” the nature of which has not been disclosed to the press. However, the issue was not serious enough for the crew to declare an emergency.
The aircraft landed safely, and the passengers deplaned until another aircraft could replace the 17-year-old E175. No injuries were reported for the passengers or crew.
The details
According to Flightradar24, Flight 4732 took off at 15:25 UTC PHL and was headed to Memphis International Airport (MEM). The aircraft was at an altitude of 17,000 ft and roughly over Waynesboro, Maryland, when the crew initiated a 180-degree turn to prepare to head back to PHL.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The crew started to descend at 15:57 UTC, just 32 minutes after takeoff. The descent, approach, and landing took another 25 minutes. The aircraft didn’t require assistance to taxi back to the gate.
The entire flight lasted just 58 minutes.
The aircraft
According to Ch Aviation, the aircraft operated on the flight is an Embraer E175-200LR (registered N109HQ), the 109th aircraft to be produced. The aircraft is 17.1 years old and configured in a C12Y64 configuration, with 12 business class seats, 20 economy plus seats, and 44 economy seats.
It was manufactured at the San Jose Dos Campos production plant in Brazil and delivered in May 2007. It is equipped with two General Electric CF34-8E5 engines, which produce 14,200 pounds-force (62.28 kN) of thrust each.
As of April 2024, the aircraft has flown an estimated 37,261 flight hours and 28,260 cycles.
According to Aviation Safety.net, the E175 platform is considered one of the safest aircraft on the market. The fleet has experienced 141 incidents and has never had a fatality due to flight operations. The only fatality the aircraft is involved in occurred in December 2022, when a baggage handler was sucked into the engine.
The only other serious operational incident occurred in October 2023, when a jumpseat pilot attempted to crash an E175 by activating both engine fire extinguishers. He was unsuccessful, and the aircraft landed safely.
Related
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The Chicago-based carrier is no stranger to deploying regional aircraft on lengthy flights.
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Philadelphia International Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- PHL/KPHL
- Country:
- United States
- CEO:
- Chellie Cameron
- Passenger Count :
- 11,865,006 (2020)
- Runways :
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8/26 – 1,524m (5,000ft) |
9L/27R – 2,896m (9,501ft) |
9R/27L – 3,658m (12,001ft) |
17/35 – 1,982m (6502ft) - Terminals:
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Terminal A |
Terminal B |
Terminal C |
Terminal D |
Terminal E |
Terminal F
