An American Eagle flight tilted to its side while landing at McAllen International Airport Tuesday morning, dipping a wing onto the runway.
American Eagle Flight 5786, a Bombardier CRJ-900 regional jet operated by Mesa Airlines, departed Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for McAllen Tuesday morning at 10:21 a.m. and arrived at the border town at 11:46 a.m.
Plane spotter, Juan De La Garza, of Los Fresnos, is a novice plane spotter and told NBC 5 he was testing out his new camera when Flight 5786 arrived.
De La Garza said he watched the plane on approach through the viewfinder but noticed the right side of the plane dip toward the runway when landing.
He said saw the wing made contact when he uploaded the pictures onto his computer.
The pilot managed to safely land the aircraft and taxi to the gate without further incident.
In a statement to NBC 5, Mesa Airlines officials said, in part:
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"Due to concerns about possible damage incurred on landing, the aircraft was removed from service for inspection. Passengers exited the aircraft normally and there were no reported injuries. Mesa Airlines is conducting an investigation."
NBC 5 showed the photo to an aviation expert who said the pilot likely overcompensated when dealing with crosswinds. He added that no jet is made to withstand that kind of impact and that significant damage, including the wing being ripped off, could have occurred.
