American Airlines Flight Aborts Landing at Charlotte

Photo: Instagram/@americanair

An American Airlines flight traveling from Los Angeles to Charlotte had to suddenly change its landing plan on Friday afternoon. The plane, Flight 938, was about to land at Charlotte Douglas International Airport when the pilot was told to pull back up because another small plane was still on the runway.

New York Times reporter and CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro was on the flight. She shared her experience on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “We sort of took a very steep ascent. I started praying because I was scared.”

The incident happened around 1:19 p.m. when the pilot of Flight 938 was preparing to land. However, air traffic control gave a quick order, saying, “American 938, go around, aircraft still on the runway.” Following the instruction, the plane suddenly climbed back into the sky. It circled the area for around 20 minutes before landing safely.

Stay informed with the latest news. Follow DXB News Network on WhatsApp Channel  

Passengers described the experience as “weird” and “freaky” while speaking to Channel 9’s Joe Bruno. One passenger said, “It was pretty crazy. I think it was even scarier seeing how everyone else reacted.”

According to FlightAware.com, the plane came very close to landing but then had to pull up again. One passenger said they were relieved the pilot avoided a possible crash. “We were flying in circles for 20 minutes, but I would rather do that than hit another plane on the runway,” the passenger told Channel 9.

Another passenger recalled the moment, saying, “I was looking out the window, thinking we were about to land in Charlotte. But suddenly, the plane went back up. The pilot made a calm announcement and said, ‘Yeah, the runway was supposed to be clear, but we had to change plans.’”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later confirmed that the flight had to change its landing approach to avoid a dangerous situation.

American Airlines released a statement afterward, saying, “Flight 938 landed safely and normally at Charlotte after air traffic control directed the crew to perform a standard go-around. We are grateful to our crew members for their professionalism and expertise.”