American Airlines flight AA93, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, declared a mid-air emergency near the United Kingdom and made an unscheduled landing at London Heathrow Airport after diverting from its planned route over the North Sea.
Emergency Declaration and Diversion
The flight departed Zurich Airport at 11:54am yesterday, bound for Philadelphia International Airport. Approximately one hour and 15 minutes into the eight-hour flight, while flying between Belgium and the eastern coast of the UK, the crew transmitted a “Squawk 7700” emergency code to air traffic control, indicating an unspecified onboard emergency. Flight tracking data shows the Dreamliner abandoned its transatlantic crossing and began a rapid descent over the UK.
Air traffic controllers gave the aircraft priority and coordinated a diversion to London Heathrow. The flight landed at Heathrow at 12:30pm, then departed again for Philadelphia at 1:55pm.
Cause of Emergency
American Airlines confirmed to the Mirror that the unscheduled landing was due to a medical emergency involving a passenger. No further details about the passenger’s condition were provided.
Previous Incident
In a separate incident on Sunday, an American Airlines pilot made a chilling call to air traffic controllers before landing in Philadelphia after a passenger allegedly bit another person on board. The pilot reported: “I don’t know if he’s hallucinating or whatever, but he just bit a passenger, and he’s trying to fight everybody.” He requested emergency medical crews and law enforcement, adding, “what a day, huh?”
