An American Airlines flight from Chicago O’Hare to Las Vegas was forced to make an emergency landing early Sunday morning after an electrical problem caused the autopilot and autothrottle systems to disconnect unexpectedly.
The incident involved flight AA1047, operated by a 14-year-old Boeing 737, which was set for a three-hour journey to Harry Reid International Airport.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilots experienced multiple electrical malfunctions, including the abrupt disconnection of the autopilot and autothrottle, along with an unexpected activation of the takeoff configuration horn.
Although the horn turned off after about 30 seconds, several door lights remained illuminated for several minutes, raising concerns.
The aircraft climbed to an altitude of approximately 27,000 feet before the crew decided to return to Chicago O’Hare, where it landed safely about an hour after departure.
Following the incident, the plane was taken out of service for inspection. Engineers cleared it later that day, and it was able to operate a delayed flight to San Francisco without further issues.
Read more
United Air shares tumble as it vows to match low fares, expand capacity
American Airlines described the diversion as due to a “possible maintenance issue,” but did not provide specific details regarding the electrical faults.
The airline had anticipated a record travel period over the Thanksgiving holiday, with December 2 expected to be particularly busy, as the Transportation Security Administration reported screening 3.08 million passengers on that day – a record high in its 23-year history.
