What: Fully fueled American Airlines Boeing 737 flight 924 en route from Rionegro to to Miami
Where: emergency landing at Rionegro airport (Jose Maria Cordoba) near MedellÃn
When: 9:50 AM flight
Who: 148 passengers
Why: Passengers heard an explosion, after which the crew was concerned that the full plane would not make it over the mountains. They turned back with a fire in one engine, and the crippled plane not climbing as it should.
The plane circled the airport for half of an hour prior to the successful emergency landing. Though successful, the landing was not uneventful as the heat from braking actually fused the brakes, leaving the plane immobile on the runway. The passengers were successfully deplaned on site via stairs and ported from the runway to the terminal by bus.
No cause has been given for the initial engine problem, but the American Airlines crew is to be commended for a near-miraculous safe-guardianship of the welfare of the passengers.
The plane was carrying thousands of pounds of fuel.
Serene Air flight ER-520 suffered a bird strike near Lahore, Pakistan, on March 25th.
American Airlines flight AA-984 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Bogota, Colombia, on October 4th.