American mistakenly used wrong plane for overwater flight to Hawaii

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption American Airlines accidentally sends the wrong plane to Hawaii American Airlines admits it accidentally used a plane that wasn't certified to fly over the Pacific for a recent flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.

American Airlines mistakenly operated a Hawaii flight with an aircraft that was not certified for long over-water flights, the company has acknowledged.

The flight occurred Aug. 31 on a route from Los Angeles to Honolulu. The airline is now revising its internal procedures after the incident, according to aviation blogger Brian Sumers, who first reported the story.

American's mistake centered not on whether the Airbus A321 had the range to fly from California to Hawaii – it is able to do so – but rather on whether it was properly certified.

Planes that fly long over-water routes must receive special certification for such flights. That certification is known as "ETOPS," which stands for "Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards."

The Washington Post notes the certification "is primarily an administrative requirement, but it also calls for the planes to be equipped with extra oxygen and a fire suppression canister."

American says it notified the Federal Aviation Administration as soon as it realized the mistake had been made.

When we realized what happened, we immediately notified the FAA and began a thorough review of our procedures," American spokesman Casey Norton says to Today in the Sky. "Already, we have revised our software to properly identify the correct aircraft are operating the correct routes."

American spokesman Casey Norton explains to AFP that – except for the ETOPS certification – the A321S that mistakenly flew the Hawaii trip is the same as the A321H that was supposed to fly the route.

"American's A321S flies over water regularly for many missions, but is not ETOPS-certified, which is required by the FAA for American's Hawaiian flights," American adds to ABC. "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."

"It has the same engine, same fuel tanks, same range," Norton says to AFP.

Speaking to The Associated Press, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said agency officials cannot recall any past incidents quite like this one.

The Aug. 31 incident came about two weeks after American switched from Boeing 757s to Airbus A321s for its L.A.-Honolulu route.

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