28-03-2025
‘Pretty crazy': AA flight aborts landing in Charlotte due to plane on runway
An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Charlotte had to abort landing because a small plane was still on their runway Friday afternoon.
The flight landed safely about 20 minutes later, but passengers on board told Channel 9′s Joe Bruno it was 'weird' and 'freaky.'
American Airlines Flight 938 ended up circling in the air after a go-around at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. These incidents are rare, but not abnormal.
'American 938, go around, aircraft still on the runway,' said Air Traffic Control to pilots on board around 1:19 p.m. Friday.
Then, the pilot relayed the message to the confused cabin.
'It was pretty crazy, I think more so seeing the reactions of everyone else,' said Maia Hammond, a passenger on the flight.
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Channel 9 tracked the flight as one passenger reached out to American Airlines while still in the air. The flight path from shows the plane nearly land at CLT before returning to altitude.
'About 20 minutes of going around in circles, but I will take that over hitting another plane on the runway,' said Dave Paradice, a passenger on the plane.
Paradice credited the pilot, saying he did a great job with the maneuver and stayed calm when he told everyone what happened.
'I am looking out the window thinking we are about to touch down in Charlotte, and nope, pilot goes up and makes a big announcement very calm, and he's like, 'Yeah, the runway was supposed to be vacated, of course, but we have to make a change of plan,'' Paradice told Bruno. 'Sounds like a crisis was averted.'
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The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Channel 9 that the AA flight had to avoid a plane on the runway. According to the most recent data from the FAA, about .4% of arriving flights at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in 2023 resulted in a go-around.
Channel 9 reached out to American Airlines for a statement, but we are still waiting on an official response.
We've asked for more details about the plane that was still on the runway and why it was still there.
(VIDEO: 'Something goes wrong': American Airlines flight diverted to Eglin Air Force Base due to flap issue)
