Updated To Reflect Statement By American Airlines
What could have caused the American Airlines flight 1427 to abort its takeoff from St Vincent’s Argyle International Airport on Saturday, June 5?
James Lynch, an aviation consultant and a former LIAT pilot with over thirty years of experience, told News784 that there could have been many reasons why the AA crew using the Boeing MAX 737 had to abort the takeoff.
The aviation consultant zeroed in on the plane engines and what could have possibly gone wrong.
“Based on footage obtained, I saw a lot of dust, back at the start of the takeoff roll. So one cause may be volcanic dust retarding the acceleration. It could have also been the same dust from when it landed. You could have seen it was not developing full thrust on the engines”.
In a video circulated widely on Social Media following the aborted takeoff on Saturday afternoon, a woman could be heard saying, “It looks like it’s moving slow.”
“If the engines ingested volcanic ash on arrival (look at the ash generated during the reverse thrust phase), it would have stuck to the turbine blades and the inside of the engine – including the burner “cans” at the back where the fuel burns.”
“Modifying the turbine blades is the same as too much ice on a wing; it changes the profile and therefore the aerodynamic properties” (less thrust).
“The throttles could have been all the way forward; if the turbines are not producing the necessary power, then the throttles cannot be blamed.”
Lynch said even though he is giving his perspective based on footage obtained, he thinks the crew did the right thing, and the decision would have been generated and acted on by the speed numbers (V1 and V2) being called out during the takeoff run.
On Monday 7 June, American Airlines issued a statement to News784 sighting that the 737 Max 8 which aborted takeoff in St Vincent, last Saturday, suffered a possible mechanical problem.
“On June 5, American Airlines flight 1427 with service from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD) to MIA safely returned to the gate prior to take off due to a possible mechanical issue.
There were no reported injuries, and all passengers were provided with food and hotel accommodations.
A replacement aircraft was flown in to complete the flight from SVD to MIA. We appreciate our passengers’ patience and apologize for any inconvenience.”
The flight destined for Miami was set to depart from (AIA) around 3:55 pm; however, a source told News784 that pilots were forced to apply the brake close to the takeoff point.
No official release has been issued from St Vincent airport authorities on the incident
According to Flightradar24, An American Airlines Flight AAL427Q left AIA at 7.41 pm on Sunday, the aircraft which left on Sunday evening was a Boeing 737 -823.
In May, little more than six months after Boeing’s 737 Max was cleared to fly again by US regulators; the aircraft found itself under intense scrutiny once again.
In January 2021, the Justice Department stated that Boeing would pay more than $2.5 billion to settle a criminal charge related to the two 737 Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
News784 reached out to American Airlines for comment; there has been no response so far.
