Injuries reported as American Airlines plane makes hard landing

WAILUKU – An American Airlines plane carrying 167 passengers made a hard landing at Kahului Airport in Maui on Saturday.

In a statement released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it was stated that an American Airlines Airbus A320 experienced a hard landing on Maui airport runway at approximately 2 p.m. local time.

Six individuals, including one passenger and five crew members were hospitalized with minor injuries, as confirmed by American Airlines in a statement.

The airline reported that Flight 271 departing from Los Angeles International Airport encountered a problem during landing. Despite this issue, the aircraft independently taxied to the gate, and passengers disembarked in a standard manner.

At the time of the incident, weather conditions were partly cloudy and windy, as per National Weather Service data. The Airbus A320, carrying 167 passengers and seven crew members, has been removed from service and is currently undergoing inspection, with the airline emphasizing that the safety of customers and team members is their foremost concern.

The FAA has initiated an investigation into the incident to determine its cause. According to information from the Maui airport, Flight 271 was initially scheduled to arrive at 12:47 p.m., arriving approximately 79 minutes later than planned.

Additionally, data from Kahului and flight-tracking website Flight Aware indicates that the aircraft spent over an hour taxiing at LAX before taking off. As the investigation unfolds, passengers and industry observers await further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the hard landing.

This occurrence adds to a recent series of aircraft-related events as in a separate incident earlier this month, an Alaska Airlines flight bound for California had to make an emergency landing at Poland International Airport due to a significant side wall blowout mid-air caused by depressurization. However, the emergency landing was successful and there were no injuries reported.

As investigations continue, passengers and industry observers eagerly await further details surrounding the circumstances of these incidents and any potential implications for aviation safety.