American B38M near Nassau on Mar 29th 2021, pitch trim issue/failure

Last Update: March 30, 2021 / 22:35:08 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Mar 29, 2021

Classification
Incident

Airline
American Airlines

Flight number
AA-987

Departure
Miami, United States

Destination
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Aircraft Registration
N302SA

Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800MAX

ICAO Type Designator
B38M

An American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N302SA performing flight AA-987 from Miami,FL (USA) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with 135 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 30nm south of Nassau (Bahamas) when the crew reported a pitch trim issue, pitch trim failure and decided to return to Miami. The aircraft began its descent towards Miami while turning back. The crew requested a long final (15nm) and landed safely on Miami's runway 09 about 50 minutes after turning around. The crew advised after roll out no further assistance was needed and taxied to the apron.

A replacement Boeing 737-8 MAX registration N339SU reached Santo Domingo with a delay of 3.5 hours.

The FAA reported they are going to investigate the occurrence but referred to the airline for further details.

The airline released following statement:

American Airlines flight 987, with service from Miami (MIA) to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ), reported a possible mechanical issue after departing MIA on March 29. The aircraft landed safely at MIA without incident and taxied to the gate on its own power. All customers deplaned normally, and there were no reported injuries to any customers or crew. A replacement aircraft was used to fly our customers to SDQ while our maintenance team evaluated the original aircraft.

Additional background:

- The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX with 135 passengers and six crew members.
- A component of the main electric trim system became inoperative. Our pilots ran the appropriate checklist, which included manually trimming the aircraft. They returned to MIA and landed uneventfully. The issue was not related to MCAS.
Aircraft Registration Data
Registration mark
N302SA
Country of Registration
United States
Date of Registration
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TCDS Ident. No.
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Manufacturer
BOEING
Aircraft Model / Type
737-8
Number of Seats
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ICAO Aircraft Type
B38M
Year of Manufacture
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Serial Number
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Aircraft Address / Mode S Code (HEX)
DmpAiA Subscribe to unlock
Engine Count
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Engine Manufacturer
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Engine Model
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Engine Type
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Pounds of Thrust
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Main Owner
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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Mar 29, 2021

Classification
Incident

Airline
American Airlines

Flight number
AA-987

Departure
Miami, United States

Destination
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Aircraft Registration
N302SA

Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800MAX

ICAO Type Designator
B38M

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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