Summary
- An American Airlines A319 experiences engine flames during takeoff in Charlotte.
- Pilots rejected takeoff at 70 knots due to engine banging and flaming issues.
- Passengers boarded another A319 and reached Sint Maarten with a delay of 2 hours.
An American Airlines A319 was forced to reject takeoff after one of its engines started banging and emitting flames. The incident happened in Charlotte onboard a flight destined for Sint Maarten – the aircraft was consequently deemed unfit to fly and remains on the ground at the time of publication.
American Airlines A319 engine flames during takeoff
On Friday, American Flight 2478 from Charlotte International Airport (CLT) to Sint Maarten (SXM) As per an AvHerald report, the Airbus A319 had initiated its takeoff roll and was accelerating on runway 36R when it encountered an engine issue. One of the jet’s CFM56 engines is said to have started “emitting bangs and streaks of flames,” with the flight crew deciding to reject takeoff having reached a speed of around 70 knots.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
This is still considered a low-speed rejected takeoff, with the A319 not yet nearing its typical V1 speed of between 120 and 140 knots, after which it would have been committed to taking off. The aircraft successfully slowed and returned to the gate, where passengers then disembarked before boarding a replacement flight. Data from Flightradar24 shows the A319 has yet to fly again, having been removed from service for inspection.
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No injuries were reported, and passengers were on their way relatively quickly. They boarded a replacement A319 the same day and reached Sint Maarten with a delay of approximately two hours and 15 minutes.
10-year-old aircraft
The Airbus A319-100 involved in the incident, registered as N9019F, is 10 years old, having been delivered to AA in June 2014. It can seat up to 128 passengers – 8 in business and 120 in economy – and is powered by two CFM56-5B7/P engines. According to data from ch-aviation, this airframe has accumulated almost 30,000 flight hours and 12,700 flight cycles as of February 2024.
The engine family – the CFM56 – is the single most-produced commercial aircraft engine in history with over 35,000 built. It powers the Boeing 737 series, Airbus A320 family, and first-generation Airbus A340 jets. Since it was introduced in the mid-1970s, the CFM56 has proven itself as one of the most reliable engines in the industry despite some early service problems.
Flames and banging from the engine are a serious safety threat, so the pilots undoubtedly did the right thing in rejecting takeoff. American Airlines has not offered an update on the condition of the aircraft or the nature of the problem at this stage.
Have you ever been onboard a flight that rejected takeoff? Let us know your stories in the comments.