You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Tuesday 4 December 2001 |
| Time: | 14:03 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 767-323ER |
| Owner/operator: | American Airlines |
| Registration: | N7375A |
| MSN: | 25202/441 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 77 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | near Gent -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU/EBBR) |
| Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Brussels Airport, Belgium, to Chicago
O'Hare, USA. After departure from Brussels, while climbing through FL137, the forward pylon
strut fairing above the right engine detached and struck the adjacent leading edge slat. The
commander noticed a slight noise at this time but did not consider it to be of significance.
Shortly afterwards a passenger advised the cabin crew that a piece of metal fairing had disappeared
from above the right engine. The first officer went to inspect the area and saw that the pylon fairing
was missing and that there was damage to the leading edge slat. He advised the commander who
discontinued the climb and reduced the airspeed to 280 kt. Following discussion with his company
operations the commander decided to divert the flight to London Heathrow Airport. On the
approach the flaps and slats deployed normally and an uneventful overweight landing was carried
out.
Following the incident radar and flight recorder data were analysed in an attempt to identify the
area where the fairing may have fallen. It was later recovered from a location near Gent, Belgium,
which was consistent with the detachment having occurred at about FL137.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f473ed915d13740004dd/dft_avsafety_pdf_500254.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/12484 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-May-2025 12:31 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 25-May-2025 12:32 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation