DALLAS-FORT WORTH— American Airlines (AA) flight AA2690 from Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX) was forced to return to Las Vegas (LAS) on July 16, 2025, following an in-flight emergency. The Airbus A321neo registered N426AN issued a Squawk 7700, indicating a general emergency, before diverting.
The aircraft departed Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) at 09:10 local time but returned by 10:31 after circling the Mojave National Preserve. Ground emergency services awaited the flight’s landing, though the crew confirmed a normal landing was feasible.
Photo: Cado PhotoAmerican Flight Returns to Las Vegas
Flight AA2690 was en route from Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX) when it declared an emergency while climbing, prompting the transponder to broadcast Squawk 7700. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 26,850 feet before initiating descent back to LAS.
Though American Airlines (AA) has not officially stated the cause, available data and typical scenarios suggest a pressurization issue.
At such altitudes, if pressurization fails, pilots must descend rapidly to a safe cabin altitude. In many cases, if the bleed air system stops pressurizing the cabin, the aircraft can descend safely without oxygen masks deploying, provided the cabin altitude rise remains gradual.
However, if the fault pertains to the outflow valve being fully open, cabin pressure can drop rapidly, giving the crew less than a minute to initiate emergency procedures.
Observers noted that ATC had preemptively alerted emergency services, which were visibly staged on the airfield via live tracking platforms.
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Photo: FlightRadar24Flight and Aircraft Details
- Flight Number: AA2690
- Route: Las Vegas (LAS) to Los Angeles (LAX)
- Aircraft Type: Airbus A321-253NX (A21N)
- Registration: N426AN
- Departure Time: 09:10 local (16 July 2025)
- Diversion Time: 10:31 local
- Average Flight Time for Route: 42 minutes
- Actual Flight Time: Approximately 1 hour 17 minutes due to diversion
Emergency teams stood by as a precaution, consistent with protocol for flights declaring Squawk 7700.
Photo: Clément AlloingSimilar Incident
An American Airlines (AA) transatlantic flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) was forced to return to New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) mid-flight on 30 June 2025. The aircraft, operating as flight AAL44, encountered a critical technical issue after crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
The Boeing 777-223(ER), registered N766AN, had departed JFK en route to CDG but initiated a turnaround near Nova Scotia due to a malfunction in one of the aircraft’s air-conditioning packs. This system failure posed risks to cabin pressure and temperature control on the long-haul route.
Flight AAL44 was already subject to multiple pre-departure delays before the technical issue occurred. The aircraft was initially scheduled for a 5:30 PM departure but was only pushed back at 5:25 PM, with actual takeoff occurring at 6:23 PM local time.
Further updates in the dispatch logs reflected an adjusted Estimated Time of Departure (ETD) at 11:39 PM, citing a “previous delay of this aircraft.”
The expected arrival in Paris had been set for 10:53 PM local time. However, the in-flight system malfunction nullified these projections, resulting in the return to JFK.
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The post American Airlines Las Vegas to Los Angeles Flight Makes Emergency Landing appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
