An American Airlines flight departed for LAX April 11 and returned to JFK airport shortly thereafter. Passengers reported the aircraft swerving on the takeoff roll and possibly hitting a runway or taxiway sign or light at that time. The pilots requested a return to the airport and landed without incident. Once at the gate, damage was found on the left wingtip.
An American Airlines statement released shortly after said this: “American Airlines flight 300 from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) returned to JFK this evening after the aircraft struck an object upon departure. The flight which took off at 8:40 p.m. ET, landed safely at JFK at 9:09 p.m. ET, and taxied to the gate. There were 101 passengers and 8 crew members on the Airbus A321 aircraft, and no injuries were reported. American is swapping flight 300 to a new aircraft, as our team reviews the incident and inspects the aircraft. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and we are sorry for the inconvenience.”
Image above from passenger onboard.