A routine hop from Washington, D.C. to Portland, Maine turned into an unplanned stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday, after an American Airlines regional jet reported trouble with its nose-gear steering and diverted into Philadelphia International Airport.
Flight 5422 was en route to Portland when the crew flagged the nose-gear steering issue and headed for PHL. The jet circled the area briefly, then came in for what officials described as a safe emergency landing. The plane taxied to the terminal under its own power, and passengers deplaned without injury while mechanics took over.
Flight history on Flightradar24 shows the Canadair Regional Jet 700 operating the flight diverting into Philadelphia and logging several orbits before lining up for approach. The tracker lists the aircraft’s registration for the flight as N532EA and records the jet rolling off the runway and into a terminal area shortly after touchdown.
An American Airlines spokesperson told CBS Philadelphia that pilots reported a nose-gear steering problem in flight. The airline said nobody on board was injured and that customers would continue their trip to Maine on another flight out of PHL later Wednesday. According to the statement to CBS Philadelphia, technicians would repair the nose-gear issue and the aircraft was expected to return to service the same day.
How the diversion unfolded
The jet departed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport bound for Portland, Maine before its diversion into Philadelphia, according to the flight timeline on Flightradar24. Tracking data shows the aircraft making a few turns in the sky near Philadelphia as pilots and controllers set up for the approach, then lining up with the runway and landing.
After touchdown, the flight history indicates the jet taxied to a gate at PHL, where it was met for inspection.
Passenger impact and next steps
American Airlines said all customers were safe and would be rebooked on a later flight to Portland, according to CBS Philadelphia. The carrier added that maintenance crews expected to complete repairs on the nose-gear steering issue and return the aircraft to regular service sometime Wednesday.
