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6 injured when American Airlines flight makes hard landing on runway

Breezy conditions were reported at the same time an Airbus A320 made a hard landing at an airport on Maui.
File photo of the rear of an Airbus A320 landing on a runway.
Posted at 10:30 AM, Jan 29, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating an incident involving American Airlines Flight 271 on Saturday as it landed on Runway 20 at Kahului Airport in Hawaii.

The FAA said the plane was an Airbus A320. 

According to American Airlines, six people on board were hospitalized, including five flight attendants and one passenger. All six people were later released. The airline said 167 passengers and seven crew were on board. 

"American Airlines flight 271 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG) experienced an issue upon landing in (Kahului Airport) OGG," American Airlines said in a statement. "The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally. The aircraft was taken out of service for inspection by our maintenance team. The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority."

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According to Airbus, as of late 2023, 6,739 A320 models have been sold. 

At the time of the landing, conditions were breezy, according to the National Weather Service. Winds were around 26 mph when the incident occurred. It's unclear if the wind was a factor in the hard landing. 

According to the Aviation Safety Network,the last serious incident involving an Airbus A320 in the U.S. occurred in August 2019 when a plane collided with a Boeing 737 while taxiing to the gate at San Francisco International Airport. No injuries were reported.