American Airlines jet brakes malfunction on landing at DFW Airport

An American Airlines jet had trouble with its brakes while landing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Saturday.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, American flight 1632 coming from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport “experienced a braking malfunction” around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 10. The Boeing 737 ran into the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at the end of the runway. The EMAS uses crushable material to help stop an aircraft that overruns it, according to the FAA. Jet tires sink into the material and the aircraft decelerates while it rolls through it.

Passengers and crew members on board deplaned and were bused to the terminal. The FAA is investigating the event.

Runway incursions and questionable safety events have been happening every year and all over the country, yet government officials tout air flight as the safest form of travel. There hasn’t been a significant, deadly plane crash in the U.S. since a Colgan Air flight crashed in 2009.

Last year, an air traffic controller told an American Airlines pilot to cancel a takeoff out of Logan Airport because a Spirit Airlines flight was close to a line on the runway where planes are supposed to stop.

At DFW Airport, from January to August 2023, there were 15 runway incursions, based on data available through the FAA. At Dallas Love Field, there were three from January to May 2023. Both airports reported incidents that were in the lowest categories of severity for runway incursions.