An American Airlines Airbus A319 operating flight AAL1353 from Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) to San Antonio (SAT) declared a MAYDAY shortly after takeoff on November 20th, 2025, after the crew reported a landing gear problem, a hydraulic malfunction, and a complete loss of nosewheel steering, prompting an immediate return to DFW. The aircraft, registered N803AW, is a 27-year-old Airbus A319, originally delivered in 1998. The flight was carrying 108 people on board.
“MAYDAY–MAYDAY–MAYDAY”
According to ATC audio published by the aviation channel YouCanSeeATC, the crew reported leveling off at 3,000 ft before making the emergency call and requesting vectors to return to DFW.
“MAYDAY–MAYDAY–MAYDAY… American 1353, leveling off at 3000.”
The crew then advised:
“We’re having a landing gear issue off of takeoff… and a hydraulic issue. We’re gonna need radar vectors and come back around.”
DFW Departure immediately cleared the flight back to the airport, offering headings and support as the crew worked through checklists.
Emergency Vehicles Standing By, Aircaft Towed
As AAL1353 continued its return, DFW Tower prepared the runway:
“Runway 18R cleared to land… emergency vehicles are standing by… expecting you to stop on the runway.”
After landing, the crew confirmed they would be unable to vacate the runway:
“We’ve got a hydraulic issue and our nose wheel steering is inoperative. We’ll be stopping on the runway. We’ll need a tow.”
The aircraft came to a controlled stop on Runway 18R, where it remained for approximately 25 minutes for inspection before being towed.
While coordinating the response, the tower advised the crew that another arrival may have suffered a bird strike on the same runway shortly beforehand. This did not affect the A319’s landing but added another operational consideration for the emergency teams.
Aircraft Grounded for Nearly Four Days After the Incident
Flightradar24 data shows that N803AW remained grounded until the morning of 24 November, when it finally resumed service.
The two-day downtime suggests that maintenance teams carried out extended inspections and repairs on the aircraft’s hydraulic system and nosewheel steering assembly before clearing it to return to normal operations.
N803AW is a 27-year-old Airbus A319-132, one of the older A319s in American’s domestic fleet. While age alone does not indicate unsafe operation, older narrowbodies typically require more frequent and detailed maintenance, especially in systems such as hydraulics, landing gear, and steering components.
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