A flight arriving at Washington National Airport on October 31st encountered an alleged bird strike on its final approach to the Capital. Then, the Airbus A319 engine failed, requiring a mayday call before diverting to Washington Dulles . AA1539 from Boston to Washington On Thursday, October 31, an American Airlines Airbus A319, N814AW, departed Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), operating as AA1539, and was destined for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
The aircraft had 94 passengers and crew onboard and was expected to arrive at 09:09. According to data from Flightradar24 , the aircraft pushed back from the gate at 07:29, nine minutes behind schedule. The aircraft took off in a southeasterly direction and crossed Massachusetts Bay while climbing to its maximum altitude, recorded at approximately 32,000 feet.
During the aircraft's descent into Washington National, the aircraft followed the course of the Potomac River, descending for an approach to the airport's runway 19. The aircraft descended to around 300 feet above the airport before encountering what was believed to be a bird strike . The crew initiated a go-around, advising air traffic control they had an engine failure.
The aircraft slowly climbed away from the airport and declared Mayday , where the crew requested to divert to neighboring Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The aircraft landed safely 20 minutes later on IAD's runway 19L. No passengers or crew reported any injuries fol.
