The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a Thursday engine failure involving an American Airlines Airbus A319 near Washington’s Reagan National Airport. Flight 1539 from Boston later diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport.
Air traffic control recordings indicate that the flight crew reported an engine failure while on approach to Reagan National before initiating a go-around. The aircraft — registered as N814AW — climbed to the south before opting to divert to Dulles.
The crew later reported that the right-side engine failure likely came as a result of a bird strike.
The A319 remains out of service. An FAA spokesperson said the agency is investigating the incident.
“American Airlines Flight 1539 landed safely at Dulles International Airport in Virginia around 8:40 a.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 31, after the crew reported a bird strike. The Airbus 319 departed from Boston Logan International Airport and was heading to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
ADS-B data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft went around at approximately 400 feet. Initially, local controllers offered the crew a diversion to nearby Joint Base Andrews.
No injuries were reported following the incident, and the aircraft landed safely at Dulles. An American spokesperson did not immediately reply to AirlineGeeks’ request for comment.
