E175 Loses Winglet In Turbulence

An Embraer E175 regional jet lost its right winglet in turbulence Tuesday and the crew had to divert. “American Airlines flight 3729 from Charleston (CHS) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), an Embraer E175 operated by Envoy, diverted to Birmingham (BHM) after a possible mechanical issue following turbulence midflight," an American Airlines spokesperson told AeroTime. "Customers were re-accommodated on an alternate flight that departed last night.”

Passengers posted dozens of photos online of the wingletless right wing. As has been the case for the last few days, weather was unstable over the region at the time of the incident and there was a small chance of damaging winds over northern Alabama. The winglet departed while the plane was just south of Birmingham, and weather at the time on the ground was benign.