LONDON — An American Airlines trans-Atlantic flight bound for the United States was forced to abort its journey and make an abrupt U-turn over the United Kingdom this afternoon after declaring an in-flight emergency.
American Airlines flight AA735, a regularly scheduled passenger service from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina, departed London on schedule at 15:05 BST.
According to flight tracking data, the aircraft (a Boeing 777-300ER with registration N734AR) initially made a standard westbound departure out of Heathrow’s runway 27L and climbed steadily to its planned cruising altitude of 32,000 feet.
The flight proceeded normally for the first half-hour of the trip until it reached the airspace directly over Manchester. At approximately 15:35 BST, the flight crew broadcasted a general emergency by setting the aircraft’s transponder to squawk code 7700 due to a lighting strike.
Immediately following the emergency declaration, air traffic control cleared the massive widebody jet to abandon its oceanic route, initiate a sharp turn back toward the south, and begin a rapid descent.
While the specific nature of the onboard emergency has not yet been confirmed by American Airlines or aviation authorities, the crew is actively routing the twin-engine jet back to London Heathrow for a priority landing according to our information.
Because long-haul aircraft like the Boeing 777-300ER take off heavily loaded with fuel for trans-Atlantic crossings, the flight may be required to burn off fuel or dump it over the water to achieve a safe landing weight before touching down back at Heathrow.
Emergency ground crews and airport response vehicles at Heathrow are reportedly being placed on standby to meet the aircraft upon arrival, which is standard protocol for flights landing under a declared emergency status.
UDPATE 16:35 BST
Touch down on runway 27R.
UPDATE 16:37 BST
Vacated the runway, being inspected by ARFF.
UPDATE 16:51 BST
Taxied to Terminal 3.
