A London-bound American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency diversion after encountering "severe turbulence." Two flight attendants were injured in the incident, according to FlightAware. The plane, a Boeing 777-200, departed the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina just after 9 p.m. local time on July 22, and was scheduled to land at London’s Heathrow Airport about seven-and-a-half hours later.
However, less than an hour into the international flight, the aircraft diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City. In an audio recording obtained by ATC, pilots informed JFK air traffic controllers there were multiple injuries on board. "We have two flight attendants injured due to turbulence," the pilot said, as the plane approached JFK.
"There are 239 souls on board," the pilot went on to inform the controller, adding that the flight would require an overweight landing, which can add stress to the plane’s landing gear and parts of the structure.
In cases such as this, pilots rely on specific techniques to manage the additional weight. According to Flight Radar 24, pilots aim for a ‘firm’ landing rather than a ‘soft’ one in a scenario where an aircraft must land overweight. This is to ensure the aircraft’s weight is supported by the landing gear quickly and effectively, and not prolonged in a floating phase, which, according to Flight Radar 24, could lead to runway overshoot.
Fortunately, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that American flight 174 "landed safely" in New York around 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday, adding that the incident is under investigation.
About three hours after landing in New York, passengers departed for London at 01:26 local time, this time aboard another Boeing 777-200ER registration N784AN, per Flight Radar 24. However, shortly after takeoff, the crew encountered an issue with one of the aircraft’s engines, which necessitated a diversion.
This time, the plane diverted to Boston. According to Flight Radar 24, the aircraft burned fuel off the Massachusetts coast before touching down at 03:15 local time in Boston.
