On Jan 15th 2026, what began as a routine American Airlines flight turned into a tense midair drama that tested training, teamwork, and nerves of steel. American Airlines flight AA-1866, an Airbus A319-100 registered N816AW, was en route from Phoenix, Arizona to Monterey, California with 90 people on board when the unexpected unfolded during the final moments of the journey.
As the aircraft approached Monterey’s runway 10R, the flight crew aborted the landing and initiated a go-around after detecting a problem with the aircraft. Moments later, the situation escalated when the crew declared “PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN,” signaling an urgent condition that did not yet constitute a full distress call. The issue was clear and alarming: the landing gear was not coming down.
Faced with the uncertainty of landing at a smaller airport, the crew made the decision to divert to San Francisco International Airport, choosing its longer runways and robust emergency response capabilities. The plan was to attempt to lower the landing gear using alternate procedures while en route, buying time and options in a situation where both are precious.
According to communications from the cockpit, the tense standoff with gravity eased as the aircraft approached San Francisco. Using alternate means, the crew successfully extended the landing gear and confirmed “three greens,” the cockpit indication that all landing gear were locked in place. Despite the successful extension, the crew advised that the aircraft would stop on the runway after landing so emergency services could inspect it, noting that nose wheel steering was unavailable and the aircraft would need to be towed clear.
The Airbus touched down safely on San Francisco’s runway 28R roughly 35 minutes after the aborted approach in Monterey, bringing a palpable sense of relief to everyone on board. Emergency crews were standing by as planned, and the aircraft came to a controlled stop without further incident.
One passenger later recounted that the crew had calmly explained the situation, announcing they could not initially get the landing gear down and were diverting as a precaution. The gear, the passenger said, did not deploy until the aircraft was nearly at San Francisco, and for a time they feared the flight might end in a belly landing.
Instead, the episode concluded with a safe landing and a powerful reminder of why redundancy, procedure, and crew training matter. What could have been a catastrophic scenario ended as a story of professionalism at 35,000 feet, with three green lights shining just in time over the Bay.
