While I’m not sure what exactly to make of this, it certainly isn’t normal, and makes for quite a story…
Something’s wrong with an American Boeing 787-8
It’s normal for planes to once in a while return to their origin due to a maintenance issue, since airplanes are complex machines that sometimes malfunction. However, one of American’s eight-year-old Boeing 787-8s with the registration code N819AN seems to be having issues with a frequency that’s raising eyebrows, as reported by @xJonNYC.
AA aircraft N819AN. If I’m getting the full picture, this 787 has had an incredibly bad month or so– like not quite like much I’ve really seen before really. Diversions, aborted take-offs, out of service, etc. I’m still reading though it allavherald.com/h?article=52…
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) February 1, 2025 at 11:44 AM
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On January 7, 2025, the aircraft was supposed to operate from Amsterdam (AMS) to Philadelphia (PHL) as flight AA203. It took off, only to land back in Amsterdam just under 90 minutes later.
The plane ended up being taken out of service for a few days, and then eventually operated a flight again on January 10, 2025, returning to Philadelphia. A few hours after returning to Philadelphia, the same plane departed for Dublin (DUB) as flight AA722. That flight didn’t last long, because less than an hour later, the aircraft returned to Philadelphia.
The plane was once again taken out of service for a few days, and then eventually operated a flight again on January 13, 2025, to Barcelona (BCN). That flight went off without a hitch, or something. Then on January 14, 2025, the same plane was supposed to operate back to Philadelphia as flight AA743. However, the flight ended up being canceled due to a maintenance issue.
The aircraft stayed grounded in Barcelona until January 19, 2025, at which point it was supposed to operate back to Philadelphia as flight AA9781. Anyone want to take a wild guess as to what happened? Yep, you guessed right — the plane took off, and just over 30 minutes later, it was back on the ground in Barcelona.
After four more days on the ground, American clearly realized something was wrong with the aircraft, and on January 19, 2025, ferried it to Dallas (DFW), so it could undergo further maintenance. The plane remained grounded in Dallas through January 23, 2025, at which point it reentered service.
Well, the plane managed to operate four successful flights with passengers. Then on February 1, 2025, the plane operated its fifth flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Philadelphia as flight AA93. The plane took off, and less than an hour later, the plane returned to its origin. Now that’s where it’s on the ground.
Just to recap, between January 7 and February 1 (25 days), the plane had four diversions, all while spending 19 days on the ground with maintenance issues.
What’s going on with this American Boeing 787-8?
The Aviation Herald reports that the initial January 7 diversion was due to an issue with the flaps, which required a return to Amsterdam. When the flight was rescheduled for the next day, it ended up being canceled due to a hydraulic leak.
It’s not known what the subsequent diversions were for, though I have a hard time imagining that they were completely unrelated.
Obviously it’s very strange to see an aircraft divert so often. However, in light of the fact that we recently saw a major commercial accident, let me note that these diversions are done out of an abundance of caution. If there’s an issue with flaps, it might impact the ability to operate a long haul flight, but it doesn’t impact the ability to land safely. In other words, let’s not blow this out of proportion — it’s very strange, but we have no reason to believe that anyone was ever in danger.
Still, one wonders what exactly is going on. The plane was constantly grounded for days at a time, so you’d think that maintenance workers were examining the aircraft and trying to figure out what was wrong. The plane was even ferried back to Dallas empty, which isn’t exactly cheap.
Yet even after that check at one of American’s largest maintenance facilities, the plane had an issue again. I don’t have nearly enough knowledge of aircraft maintenance to chime in here on what can cause this. But one certainly assumes that in each situation, the airline thought the problem was fixed, or else they wouldn’t have attempted to put the plane back into service. And that makes one wonder what caused such a disconnect.
Bottom line
One particular American Boeing 787-8 has had quite a rough several weeks. Over the course of 25 days, the plane has diverted four times, and has spent 19 days grounded and in maintenance. That’s most definitely not normal, and it’s especially strange how the airline keeps putting the plane back into service.
I’ll definitely be tracking this tail number, and am curious to see what happens next.
What do you make of this strange American Boeing 787 issue?
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