An American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route from Zurich to Philadelphia was forced to make an unscheduled landing at London Heathrow Airport on Monday after declaring a mid-air medical emergency.
Flight AA93 Declares Emergency Off UK Coast
Flight AA93 departed Zurich Airport at 11:54 am local time bound for Philadelphia International Airport. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which typically accommodates 234 passengers, climbed to a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet and proceeded northwest through German airspace without incident.
Approximately one hour and 15 minutes into the scheduled eight-hour journey, as the aircraft flew between Belgium and the UK's eastern coastline, the crew notified air traffic control of an unspecified onboard incident by broadcasting a "Squawk 7700" emergency code. Flight tracking data showed the Dreamliner abandoning its transatlantic route and commencing a rapid descent over the UK.
Priority Landing at Heathrow
Air traffic controllers immediately granted the aircraft priority status and coordinated with pilots to divert the plane to London Heathrow Airport. The service touched down at Heathrow at 12:30 pm before departing again for Philadelphia at 1:55 pm.
American Airlines confirmed to the Mirror that the diversion was due to a medical emergency involving a passenger. The airline stated that the passenger received medical attention upon landing.
Separate Incident Involving Unruly Passenger
In a separate incident on Sunday, an American Airlines pilot was forced to make an urgent call to air traffic controllers before landing after a man allegedly attacked another passenger with his teeth. The aircraft was approaching Philadelphia when the passenger began "trying to fight everybody" and became uncontrollable. Audio from the pilot's transmission captured him saying: "I don't know if he's hallucinating or whatever, but he just bit a passenger, and he's trying to fight everybody." The pilot requested emergency medical teams and police assistance, remarking to a controller, "what a day, huh?"
