American Airlines Flight AA108 to London Faces Two Major Setbacks in Less Than 24 Hours.
What should have been a routine transatlantic flight turned into an extraordinary travel ordeal for passengers on American Airlines Flight AA108 after the service suffered two separate aircraft problems involving two different Boeing 777-200s before it could make its way to London Heathrow.
The first aircraft, Boeing 777-200 registration N772AN, departed Boston for London Heathrow on July 20. Shortly after takeoff, the crew discovered that the landing gear remained locked in the down position and could not be retracted. The pilots initially stopped the climb at 3,000 feet before climbing to 5,000 feet and deciding to divert to New York JFK Airport, where the aircraft landed safely about 90 minutes after departure.
To continue the journey, American Airlines arranged a replacement Boeing 777-200, registration N784AN, for Flight AA108.
However, the replacement aircraft also encountered problems the following day. With 198 people on board, the aircraft was cruising at 37,000 feet approximately 160 nautical miles east-northeast of Boston when the crew advised air traffic control they were dealing with an issue and elected to turn back. The Boeing 777 landed safely on Boston’s Runway 33L around 110 minutes after departure before taxiing to the apron.
Passengers later reported that the captain informed them of an issue involving one of the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines.
Both flights landed safely with no reported injuries, highlighting the professionalism of the flight crews. However, having the original aircraft diverted because of a landing gear malfunction and then seeing the replacement aircraft return due to an engine-related issue is an exceptionally rare sequence of events and an embarrassing operational setback for American Airlines. The double diversion left passengers facing significant delays and uncertainty on what should have been a straightforward journey from Boston to London.
