An American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER operating flight AA194 from Phoenix to London Heathrow declared a “mayday” shortly after takeoff on Friday after suffering a failure of its left Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engine. The 25-year-old aircraft, registration N759AN, had 283 people on board and approximately 11 hours of fuel remaining when the crew decided to return to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The pilots reported they were unable to restart the engine and chose not to dump fuel before landing, resulting in an overweight landing less than an hour after departure. The aircraft landed safely on Phoenix’s longest runway after using nearly its full 11,490-foot length to stop. Emergency services were deployed as a precaution, and the jet briefly remained on a taxiway while its brakes and landing gear cooled due to the heavy landing weight.
American Airlines confirmed the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection following what it described as a mechanical issue. The incident has renewed attention on the carrier’s ageing Boeing 777-200ER fleet and highlighted the operational and legal sensitivities surrounding fuel dumping after previous high-profile cases in the United States.