Summary
- An Airbus A320, previously operated by Alaska Airlines, made a protected emergency landing during a maintenance test flight.
- An alert within the cockpit reportedly prompted the pilots to request an emergency landing.
- The retired A320, still owned by Alaska, could also be picked up by one other airline in the long run.
An Airbus A320, operated by Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, made an emergency landing at San Antonio International Airport (SAT) on Friday. The aircraft was reportedly performing a maintenance test flight when the incident occurred.
No passengers were onboard, and the aircraft landed safely. Alaska retired the jet from passenger service just a few years ago, however the test flight coincides with reports that its days of flying passengers will not be over yet.
Details of the incident
In accordance with San Antonio local NBC affiliate WOAI, emergency crews responded to the scene involving N632VA. The 16-year-old A320 was flying a maintenance test flight from SAT as ASA9524 and departed from Runway 30L on Friday at 16:52, data from FlightAware indicates. The aircraft quickly gained speed and climbed in altitude, reaching 12,000 feet five minutes into the flight. Heading east, the plane reached 14,200 feet but remained on the altitude briefly after which descended to 13,500 feet.
Photo: Flightradar24.com
Because the aircraft turned south, its altitude fluctuated greatly, which could have been as a result of the routine testing, but its speed was rapidly decreasing. 21 minutes into the flight, the A320 was traveling at 140 miles per hour while situated about 15,000 feet – a speed dangerously low at that altitude, depending on the aircraft’s weight. It then descended barely, which naturally increased its speed, but at 24 minutes within the air, the plane made a pointy turn to the northwest, back toward SAT.
Landing safely
It continued descending, and its speed increased further, reaching about 400 miles per hour at 8,000 feet. At 17:27, N632VA was on final approach and landed two minutes later, back on Runway 30L.
In the course of the flight, an alert was noticed within the cockpit, prompting the pilots to request an emergency landing, in line with WOAI. Easy Flying contacted Alaska for further comment on Sunday, but a representative couldn’t be immediately reached.
A brand new home?
It’s unclear whether the aircraft was certain for one more destination throughout the test flight or if it planned to return to SAT, and the emergency just cut it short. In accordance with Flightradar24.com, the plane was retired by Alaska in 2022. It flew from Oakland International Airport to SAT on March 18, 2022, and has remained on the airport ever since. In April of last 12 months, it flew a test flight after which remained grounded until Friday’s test flight.
Although the aircraft has been faraway from service, Alaska still owns and operates it, and crews must perform routine maintenance often to take care of flying conditions. Photos from WOAI also show that the aircraft, alongside one other Airbus aircraft, continues to be painted in Alaska’s livery.
Photo: News 4 San Antonio (WOAI)
In accordance with Planespotters.net, N632VA will likely see more test flights in the long run because it is to be picked up by Air Canada. The Canadian airline currently operates 13 A320s but plans to amass five more – 4 of that are former Alaska birds.
Air Canada also has plans to retrofit the inside of eight A320s to feature larger overhead bins, cabin lighting, and inflight entertainment. The carrier’s first A321 to receive the inside upgrades was unveiled in October of last 12 months. It’s unclear if the previous Alaska planes shall be retrofitted.