It's well that this ends well.

Envoy Embraer E175 loses part of wing during turbulence

On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, American Airlines flight 3729 was supposed to leave Charleston for Dallas. The flight was operated by Envoy, a subsidiary of American Airlines, and used an E175 jet. The plane had a registration code.

The plane lost part of its wing after it encountered moderate to severe turbulence while cruising at 36,000 feet. The right winglet fell off. The plane made an emergency landing about 35 minutes after the initial incident.

The plane that American sent in for stranded passengers made it to Dallas four hours late. The plane that was involved in the incident is still on the ground. The winglet looks like it was cleanly chopped off.

Envoy Airlines Embraer E175LR diverts to Birmingham – Shuttlesworth Airport after losing its right winglet due to turbulence while enroute to Dallas Fort Worth. No injuries reported.

📸 Brandon0wen pic.twitter.com/BENSrDSme4

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 4, 2022

The winglet is supposed to look like a special heritage livery plane.

American Eagle Embraer E175 winglet

The initial FAA notice stated that the incident was being investigated.

AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE AND POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A PIECE OF RIGHT WINGLET MISSING, BIRMINGHAM, AL.

This isn’t supposed to happen

Flying is incredibly safe because of the number of redundant systems in place when things go wrong, as well as investigators learning from every incident, and implementing changes to mitigate risk going forward.

Due to the number of flights that operate, some incidents are bound to happen. This could include engine failures, smoke alarms, and injuries due to turbulence. A part of the wing falling off. It's something you don't often hear about.

I'm sure a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the root cause of this. At the same time, it is reassuring that the wing of the plane can fall off at cruise altitude, and the plane can still land safely.

Bottom line

A regional jet lost its winglet on Tuesday. The plane landed without any issues. I am curious to see what the investigation reveals, I have never seen a story like this before.

How little media attention this story has received is interesting. It would be different if this happened on the Boeing MAX.

What do you think about the American Eagle winglet incident?

The tip of the hat was given to The Aviation Herald.

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