“MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY. We got multiple failures” | American A321 | Dallas-Fort Worth, Real ATC

THIS VIDEO IS A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FOLLOWING SITUATION IN FLIGHT:

22-JUN-2022. An American Airlines Airbus A321neo (A21N), registration N429AN, performing flight AAL1336 / AA1336 from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, TX (USA) to Orlando International Airport, FL (USA) after departure declared MAYDAY, reported multiple failures (stuck flaps, airspeed indicator failure) and requested return to Dallas-Fort Worth International.

PART OF TEXT VERSION OF COMMUNICATIONS THAT I'M ABLE TO INCLUDE HERE. Do you want more? Write in comments and I'll give you remaining part of text communications (Read if subtitles in video were fast):

AAL1336: Departure, American 1338, with you out of 3400. Looks like we’re gonna come back to the field…
DEPARTURE: American… Verify, that’s American 1336?
AAL1336: Okay, we're just gonna confirm this now. We're gonna MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY, declaring an emergency, coming back to the field.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, roger, maintain… If you can, maintain 4000. Can you maintain 4000?
AAL1336: 4000, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, turn left heading 050, vectors to the airport.
AAL1336: Left turn 050, vectors to the airport, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: … your intentions?
DEPARTURE: American 1336, understand you need to land at DFW? Do you want 17C or 17R? Do you have a preference?
AAL1336: Stand-by.
AAL1336: Yeah, 17C will work fine, for American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, roger, heading 040, expect RW 17C.
AAL1336: 040, expect 17C, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, when you have a chance, say the nature of the emergency, please, number of people on board. And you do want 17C…
AAL1336: We have 1…
AAL1336: 197 passengers on board and… We got multiple failures. We got flaps that are locked and we got airspeed indicator that’s not working.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, roger, turn left heading 010.
AAL1336: Left turn 010, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, heading 340.
AAL1336: Left turn 340, 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, you're not having any problem with the ... staying airborne right now or anything like that, are you?
DEPARTURE: American 1336, I know it's a lot. When you're able, fuel remaining, please.
AAL1336: We got 3 hours of fuel remaining, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, traffic 12 o’clock, 12 miles, opposite direction, Citation, 3700, descending to 2000. Are you gonna be able to maintain 4000 or you’re gonna need lower?
AAL1336: We can maintain 4000, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, roger, as soon as we get you past that aircraft we’ll get you lower. It’s at 12 o’clock, in 13 miles, opposite direction, 3300 for 2000.
AAL1336: We’re gonna need some delay vectors to get this under contr… everything, checklists run, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, roger, in that case turn right heading 355.
AAL1336: Heading 355, American 1336.
DEPARTURE: American 1336, that traffic is at 12 o’clock, in 2 miles, 1800 indicating. Additional traffic at 2 o’clock, in 4 miles, 3000, descending to 2000.

------- This is maximum I can write here. Do you want more? Write in comments and I'll give you remaining part of text communications -------

THE VALUE OF THIS VIDEO:
THE MAIN VALUE IS EDUCATION. This reconstruction will be useful for actual or future air traffic controllers and pilots, people who plan to connect life with aviation, who like aviation. With help of this video reconstruction you’ll learn how to use radiotelephony rules, Aviation English language and general English language (for people whose native language is not English) in situation in flight, which was shown. THE MAIN REASON I DO THIS IS TO HELP PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND EVERY EMERGENCY SITUATION, EVERY WORD AND EVERY MOVE OF AIRCRAFT.

SOURCES OF MATERIAL, LICENSES AND PERMISSIONS:
Radar screen (In new versions of videos) – Made by author.
Text version of communication – Made by Author.
Video editing - Made by author.

HOW I DO VIDEOS:
1) I monitor media, airspace, looking for any non-standard, emergency and interesting situation.
2) I find communications of ATC unit for the period of time I need.
3) I take only phrases between air traffic controller and selected flight.
4) I find a flight path of selected aircraft.
5) I make an animation (early couple of videos don’t have animation) of flight path and aircraft, where the aircraft goes on his route.
6) When I edit video I put phrases of communications to specific points in video (in tandem with animation).
7) Together with my comments (voice and text) I edit and make a reconstruction of emergency, non-standard and interesting situation in flight.

[nealcgrab]

I WAS ON THIS FLIGHT - a really unpleasant experience. What is not on the tape was the biggest problem of all - the left engine failed. Turning on final with the cabin whipping about due to asymmetric thrust is not something I'd wish on anybody. This is why the turns were so wide and the altitude was so unstable. The cabin crew was calm and professional...Post flight gate experience was sad comedy

[zidoocfi]

While any "multiple failures" emergency is hard for pilots, it's also hard for controllers to know what to do. Therefore, it was a great question by the controller to ask whether the pilots were having trouble staying airborne, it might also have been great to ask if the crew needed to stay away from populated areas.

[jamielonsdale]

We got 197 passengers and we got *multiple failures* - but in the most nonchalant voice I've ever heard.

[dianericciardistewart]

Thankfully, all were safe and problem aircraft got safely back on the ground. ATC did a great job routing traffic as needed. Kudos all around! 👍✈✈👍

[weissblitz]

That's the ATC controller I want if I ever have an emergency! Calm and cool and very helpful!!! Great teamwork!

[MLIOGJXNUYAT]

I just saw another video for this same incident. This one displayed all the other aircraft, which really makes a big difference in seeing what ATC is dealing with.

[captaind]

Now, as a pilot, I have to criticize the controller at 3:25. The crew are busy evaluating their issues, the DO NOT NEED TO BE Distracted LOOKING FOR TRAFFIC!!! THE controller's job is to provide separation, since AAL 1336 is an Emergency Aircraft!

[tomstravels]

At 1:38 you can hear the master warning alarm sound

[tomriley]

Will be interesting to see what the outcome of this is - reminds me a bit of the incident in Australia where they left the pitot tube covers on...

[CounterFleche]

Invent a transponder which, when prompted, displays number of people on board and fuel remaining so emergency aircraft aren't distracted by busywork.

[danielkarlsson]

Great work by pilots and ATC! Also good comments below I learnt a lot from you guys!

[therdid]

I know it sounds like ATC is probably being a lot in this one, but really this is close to bare minimum that they could do.

Nature of emergency, souls on board, and fuel is standard.

Giving them warnings about other planes is necessary, since there's only so much diverting they can do before a plane that can't maintain proper altitude needs to be warned for TCAS.

And asking if the plane is flyable is completely acceptable since they weren't able to make an altitude and that factors into how you have to divert traffic around them and everything else.

Everyone whining about ATC doing a bad job here, has never seen ATC do an actually bad jobs, which they have in the past.

[ankomcoper]

Non aviation person here. Is it possible that the reason they were usually somewhat low could be that they had the QNH for the airport programmed in for their altimeter? As I recall, the transponder only transmits using the standard setting. If the QNH was higher (I think) couldn't they have seen 4000 ft, but flying at a lower altitude relative to the standard value, aka transponder value?

[thickdickwad]

ATC should not have put them on a head-on collision course with the Citation, regardless of vertical separation, what if they had a stab trim problem ? 🙄 ✈️

[MastrCake]

Shoulda been flight 1337. Wouldn’t have had a problem.

[varunkumar]

Isn't MAYDAY x 3 means the controller clears the traffic in his way? He is being vectored..how hard is it to clear the traffic around, give them a hold etc? Simply increasing their workload

[ea]

This was a great job by the ATC here no overreach, and again another AA flight makes this channel

[truthloveandhappiness]

For the layman can you explain the nature of flaps? I thought the flaps redirected air flow which allows for adjustment of altitude while the rudder allows for turns. Can you explain how he has stuck flaps but is still able to maintain?

[donnafromnyc]

To have the A321 cleared to operate in that kind of mechanical shape out of DFW is amazingly awful. Flaps not working? Airspeed? More? Some heads should roll at AA maintenance.

[phuketexplorer]

They've three sources of data for airspeed indication, so how can they have none, unless the pito tubes were blocked/covered?