Possible bird strike diverts American Airlines flight, plane lands safely in Baltimore

An American Airlines flight heading from Washington, D.C. to Key West, Florida diverted to Baltimore after a possible bird strike.

The plane departed from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport slightly before 1 p.m. and was scheduled to head to Key West International Airport, according to an American Airlines statement. Instead, the plane landed at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport around 2 p.m.

"The aircraft landed without incident and taxied to the gate under its own power, where it will be inspected by our maintenance team," the statement read. "We’re working to get customers on their way to EYW as soon as possible and apologize for any inconvenience."

The aircraft, an Embraer 175, held 69 customers and four crew members. No injuries were reported.

A new flight to take the passengers to Key West was scheduled to take off around 4:45 PM and land around 7:26 PM, according to American Airlines website.

Pilots union warns spike in safety, maintenance issues

The flight delay comes after the American Airlines’ pilots union warned last month that it’s been tracking a "significant spike" in safety and maintenance issues at the airline unrelated to birds.

In a memo to its members that USA TODAY reviewed, the Allied Pilots Association’s Safety Committee said it observed a trend of tools left in wheel wells after maintenance work was performed, an increase in aircraft collisions on the ground during towing operations as well as poor recordkeeping and abbreviated check flights following maintenance.

"While United Airlines is currently under public and government scrutiny, it could just as easily be American Airlines," the memo said. The union added that airline employees are seemingly under pressure to return aircraft to service in order to protect flight schedules.

Union representatives have addressed these concerns with the airline's management team, APA President Ed Sicher said in a separate letter to the union’s members.

"We secured management’s commitment to involve the union earlier in the safety risk assessment (SRA) process, and we are likewise seeking a commitment that APA will have a seat at the table for the entire quality assurance process," Sicher’s letter said.

Contributing: Zach Wichter , USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Possible bird strike diverts American Airlines flight, plane lands safely in Baltimore