On Feb 6th, 2026, an American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N820NN, operating flight AA-2525 from Aruba to Miami, Florida, was forced to return shortly after departure following engine trouble during the initial climb.
The aircraft had departed runway 11 in Aruba and was climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew experienced compressor stalls in the right-hand CFM56 engine. Recognizing the abnormal engine behavior, the pilots halted the climb and elected to discontinue the flight as a precaution.
After coordinating with air traffic control, the crew returned to Aruba, where the aircraft landed safely back on runway 11 approximately 30 minutes after departure. Emergency services were positioned alongside the runway and conducted an external inspection of the affected engine upon arrival, confirming there were no signs of fire.
Passengers disembarked normally while the aircraft was withdrawn from service for further technical checks. As of Feb 11th, 2026, the aircraft remained on the ground in Aruba pending inspection and maintenance actions to address the compressor stall event.
