A transcontinental flight in the United States ended with an unexpected discovery after ground crews found that parts of an engine thrust reverser were missing following an otherwise routine journey.
On March 10th 2026, an American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N108NN, operating flight AA-373 from Boston to Los Angeles, departed Logan International Airport from runway 22R and climbed normally to its cruising altitude of FL340.
The aircraft completed the roughly six-hour transcontinental flight without any problems reported during the journey. The jet later landed on runway 25L at Los Angeles International Airport.
However, during post-flight inspections on the ground, maintenance crews discovered that parts of the thrust reverser on the aircraft’s number two engine—the right-hand IAE V2533—were missing.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the missing components were discovered only after the aircraft had already landed in Los Angeles.
Thrust reversers are systems installed on jet engines that redirect engine thrust forward during landing to help slow the aircraft. The condition and timing of the missing parts are now subject to further examination to determine when the components separated and whether they detached during the flight.
Following the discovery, the aircraft remained on the ground in Los Angeles about 22 hours after landing while engineers inspected the engine and assessed the required repairs.
