Airline Sent The Wrong Plane On The Over-Water Route

When American Airlines sent an A321 on a route from Los Angeles to Hawaii on August 31, they mistakenly sent an airplane that was not ETOPS certified for extended, single engine operation over water.

The plane did not carry the specified safety equipment, and so was in violation of the ETOPS requirements, according to a report from ABC news. American notified the FAA of the error as soon as it realized its mistake and "began a thorough review of our procedures. Already, we have revised our software to properly identify the correct aircraft are operating the correct routes," the airline said in a statement

The airline said in the statement that its A321S aircraft fly over water routinely on many routes. But this particular airplane was  "not ETOPS-certified, which is required by the FAA for American's Hawaiian flights. The A321S is equipped with four slide-rafts (one at each corner of the aircraft) and one portable raft in addition to life vests and seat cushions that can serve as flotation devices."

The FAA is looking into the incident. An aviation analyst for the network said that while the violation is serious, the passengers were not in any real danger. While ETOPS certification means the plane meets specific equipage requirements, "it is essentially the same airplane," said consultant John Nance.

(Image from file. Not incident airplane)

FMI: www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentID/73587