Unusual AA landing in Miami

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Nmm347

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Nmm347
Last week I was on an AA flight from PHX to MIA and had an odd experience. After landing we taxied off the runway but still carrying a lot of power. You could hear the engines still spooled up and it felt like the pilot was on the brakes trying to keep it under control. We taxied straight into the gate without waiting to be marshaled in. When we were a few yards from the gate the front nosewheel skidded sideways before the pilot hit the brakes hard. After stopping the engines were still spooled up then he killed the engines. You could tell the ground crew was not prepared for the arrival and they were scrambling around. After a few minutes the tug was hooked up and they pushed the plane back a few feet. Some of the gate staff were taking photos. Is it possible for the throttles to get stuck leaving the plane under power? I’ve been on hundreds of commercial flights and have never experienced an arrival like this one. Thoughts?
 
It would be a really strange situation for both throttles to get stuck. If one was stuck, the crew would simply shut down that engine and taxi to the gate with one engine. Also, if they were having that much trouble controlling both engines, the pilots would have just shut them both down as soon as they were on the ground or off the runway and called for a tow. No need to risk crashing into other aircraft or the terminal.

Maybe the captain croaked and an inexperienced copilot had trouble taxiing with out a tiller if there wasn't one on that side. He might have had to use a lot of differential braking and power to compensate.

Or maybe, you just misread what happened.

What aircraft model? What flight number and date?
 
Nmm347 said:
Last week I was on an AA flight from PHX to MIA and had an odd experience. After landing we taxied off the runway but still carrying a lot of power. You could hear the engines still spooled up and it felt like the pilot was on the brakes trying to keep it under control. We taxied straight into the gate without waiting to be marshaled in. When we were a few yards from the gate the front nosewheel skidded sideways before the pilot hit the brakes hard. After stopping the engines were still spooled up then he killed the engines. You could tell the ground crew was not prepared for the arrival and they were scrambling around. After a few minutes the tug was hooked up and they pushed the plane back a few feet. Some of the gate staff were taking photos. Is it possible for the throttles to get stuck leaving the plane under power? I’ve been on hundreds of commercial flights and have never experienced an arrival like this one. Thoughts?
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More likely a nose wheel issue. It is not hard to break something at pushout if you get too much angle on the nose.
 
FlyingElvii said:
More likely a nose wheel issue. It is not hard to break something at pushout if you get too much angle on the nose.
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Would they carry the extra power to compensate for the broken nose wheel?
 
I obviously don’t have my type rating for turbines (hence the original question) so take this for what it’s worth. When we were taxiing in the engines sounded and felt like they were at an rpm similar to what they would be when the pilot initially spins them up prior to applying takeoff power. I’m not talking a few rpms over a normal taxi, they were really spun up. Ground crews for other airplanes were taking notice as we taxied in.
 
Not sure what you felt, but the 321 you were on went out on time to PHL about an hour and half later - so it couldn’t have been something too major. Unfortunately this was a US Airways bird, so I can’t dig back that far to see if anything was written up (at least not without bugging actual humans, which I’m not going to do).

What made you think the nosewheel was skidding? Chatter from hot brakes can shake the hell out of the airframe - perhaps that’s what you felt as the plane was pulling into the gate?
 
kayoh190 said:
What made you think the nosewheel was skidding?
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Everything and everyone in the plane went left and the plane went right. It happened when we were turning into the gate. Plane wanted to go straight and the pilot was trying to turn. All in all it was just a weird taxi into the gate. Doesn’t really matter much I was just curious what would cause the engines to not come down to idle.
 
Nmm347 said:
Everything and everyone in the plane went left and the plane went right. It happened when we were turning into the gate. Plane wanted to go straight and the pilot was trying to turn. All in all it was just a weird taxi into the gate. Doesn’t really matter much I was just curious what would cause the engines to not come down to idle.
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Hmmm...yeah sorry man. I have no idea.
 
Being totally unqualified and on the Internet, I'll add to this as well.

I once ran a search about the Airbus barking sound on taxi, and apparently it has to do with a hydraulic transfer unit that activates if the plane is operating on one engine, as many carriers do on the ground to save fuel. Is it possible that the situation was a combination of some difficult ground handling due to wind/confusion/a mistake, the pilots had started the APU as they turned off the runway and you were hearing the hydro unit and the APU?

***WARNING: the above post is pure conjecture and is not rooted either in formal education or unique professional knowledge.***
 
I would hope that if there was an issue with the engines not idling or reducing power correctly, that the pilot didnt try pointing the plane at the terminals and gates. I would hope they would park the plane on tarmac somewhere far away and bus the passengers in.
 
Why didn't you ask before making that last 3 feet off the plane? I was on a SWA flight that mistook Biggs field for KELP last year at night and had to do a go around ... I knew a few minutes prior as they were lining up for RWY 4 and were in WAY to close to make the turn ... that and I saw the REILs only blinking for Biggs. KELP leaves their lights on lowest setting and is hard to see occasionally
 
If it was a steering problem, or excess engine power problem, the last thing you’d want to do is bring it into the gate.
 
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