A food cart came loose upon landing, allowing it to roam the cabin freely. An unsuspecting passenger stopped this excursion - with their head.
On September 28th, a passenger aboard an American Airlines flight was struck in the head by a food cart upon landing. Flight 2566 departed Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) at 20:51 ET. The Airbus A321, registered N172US, reportedly suffered a hard landing upon reaching Providences' Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD). As the aircraft touched down on the runway at 22:24 ET, the food cart came loose and raced down the center aisle before crashing into a passenger's head.
Once the aircraft had taxied to the terminal, the injured passenger was transported to the hospital. The airline reported that a second passenger was transported to the hospital, but no details were given regarding their condition. It is likely the second person was accompanying the injured party. After the incident, the remaining passengers were deplaned, and the aircraft was shut down for the night. The following morning the first flight scheduled to return to CLT at 06:00 ET was canceled. The flight resumed later that day at 12:31 ET.
Incident report
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first reported news of the incident in an incident report released a day after the event on September 29th. According to the incident report, only one passenger suffered what the FAA considers to be a minor injury. The report description only states that a passenger was struck in the head by an unsecured food cart upon landing. No details regarding the extent of the injury have been released by the FAA or American Airlines.
Neither party has released any information regarding the current state of the injured passenger. The airline did share that it has contacted all customers affected by the incident and apologized for any inconvenience it may have caused. It reminded the public of its commitment to safety, stating that it will ensure this does not happen again. A spokesperson for American Airlines told Simple Flying,
"During landing at Providence (PVD) on Sept. 28, a galley cart on American Airlines flight 2566 inadvertently came loose. Two customers were transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and our team has been in contact with customers who were affected to apologize. The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority and we are reviewing this issue."
Injured on landing
Injuries incurred during any potion of flight aboard a commercial aircraft are relatively uncommon, but they do happen. From food carts to falling luggage, there are a number of things that may cause an injury during a flight. Particularly on landing when an aircraft makes contact with the earth. Over the summer, a Southwest flight had a very hard landing at Santa Ana's John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA). The Boeing 737 landed hard enough that it fractured a flight attendant's spinal vertebrae. The short runway at SNA encouraged the pilots to approach at a steeper than normal angle, which led to a hard landing.
This article originally appeared in Simply Flying
Photo: Airbus