Summary

  • Passengers faced a half-day delay after a garbage truck hit the aircraft at Piedmont Triad International Airport.
  • The shaken passengers endured a long wait for a replacement aircraft to take them to Dallas/Fort Worth.
  • American Airlines thanked their team for professionalism and apologized to customers for the inconvenience.

Passengers were delayed half a day after their flight was hit by a garbage truck at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro this Friday morning. The plane was in the process of boarding when the truck clipped the aircraft. Passengers reported the airplane shaking after the incident and were required to deboard while inspections were made. A replacement aircraft was found.

American Airlines Boeing 737-800 taking off from PHX shutterstock_2298277643

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

American Airlines flight AA1716 was bound for American Airlines’ largest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and was expected to depart at 07:05 after the incident occurred. Passengers then endured a six-and-a-half-hour wait until a replacement aircraft ferried passengers at 13:34 and touched down in Texas at 14:41.

Initial reports outline that the 143 passengers and six crew onboard were unhurt, and the truck driver was also unharmed. The garbage truck, which is operated by a separate contractor to the airline, has since been removed from the scene, and the aircraft struck has been removed from scheduled service. Simple Flying reached out to American Airlines and received this statement from an airline spokesperson:

“During boarding of American Airlines flight 1716 from Greensboro, NC (GSO) to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), a vehicle made contact with the wing of the aircraft. All customers and crew members onboard deplaned and returned to the terminal, and the aircraft has been taken out of service for maintenance. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

N862NN replaced by N981AN

At the center of the drama was the aircraft holding registration N862NN, a 13.6-year-old Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which first entered service for the Oneworld alliance member on November 30, 2010. The aircraft is configured to carry up to 16 business and 156 economy class passengers and is powered by two CFMI CFM56-7B24 engines. It carries the serial number 30905. The plane had spent the night in Greensboro before the scheduled morning flight to Dallas, where on Thursday, the aircraft had operated six flights across its network, including Miami – Dallas – New Orleans – Dallas – Fort Meyers – Dallas and then up to Greensboro, North Carolina according to online flight tracker, Flightradar24.

American Airlines Boeing 737-800

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

After the incident occurred, a replacement aircraft, N981AN, was ferried up from Charlotte as AA9790, a 27-minute hop. The aircraft had recently arrived from Cleveland, and the carrier was quick to deploy it to the rescue. This Boeing 737-800 is configured identically to the victim aircraft and bears serial number 29569. At 15.2 years old, it has been with American Airlines since April 2009. The above aircraft data has been sourced from ch-Aviation.

Piedmont Triad International Airport

Located just west of Greensboro, the airport serves the Piedmont Triad region and is a hub for FedEx Express, a cargo carrier. The airport’s operators include Allegiant Air, American Airlines (Mainline and American Eagle), Delta Air Lines (and Delta Connection), and United Express. In October this year, United will launch a new route to Washington Dulles.

It’s also home to Boom Supersonic’s Overture Superfactory, where it will produce the nation’s first supersonic passenger airliner, bringing thousands of jobs to the region. Overture can fly twice as fast as today’s commercial planes on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

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