An American Eagle flight departing from Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport was forced to make an emergency diversion after striking a foreign object on the runway during its takeoff roll. The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 stopped its climb out of DCA at 4,000 feet before diverting to Washington Dulles International Airport, where it landed just 16 minutes after taking off.

Fortunately, the aircraft and its occupants all landed safely with no injuries reported. However, the aircraft itself reportedly sustained a hole in its radome, grounding it for a period of time before it was flown for repairs.

American Eagle CRJ-700 Damaged By Debris At DCA

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As reported by the Aviation Herald, the incident occurred on the evening of Monday, March 9. The aircraft — a PSA Airlines CRJ-700 operating on behalf of American Eagle — was scheduled to fly from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) under flight code AA5561, with an expected flight time of under two hours. Initially scheduled to depart at 19:59 local time, the aircraft was over two hours late in its departure, eventually taking off at 23:29.

However, as the regional jet was performing its takeoff roll on DCA’s Runway 15, it struck foreign object debris, continuing its takeoff and becoming airborne. The flight crew was aware of an impact and halted the climb at 4,000 feet before the decision was made to divert to nearby Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), where the aircraft landed safely. In all, the CRJ-700 spent only 16 minutes in the air, demonstrating the urgency of the emergency. Following an inspection on the ground, it was discovered that the debris had punched a hole in the jet’s nose. According to the FAA,

“The aircraft struck an object on takeoff from DCA and diverted to IAD, where a post-flight inspection revealed a hole in the radome.”

Aircraft Flown Out For Repairs

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The aircraft involved in this incident is a 22-year-old CRJ-700 (registration: N517AE) delivered to American Eagle Airlines in 2003, before joining the PSA Airlines fleet in 2017. Flightradar24 data shows the aircraft remained grounded at Washington Dulles until the next evening. It would eventually leave the airport for Wichita (ICT), which is home to a Bombardier service center.

The aircraft underwent repairs in Wichita before repositioning again to DCA, where it is scheduled to operate a service to Grand Rapids (GRR) today (March 11). The CRJ-700 is configured to seat up to 65 passengers, with nine in first class and 54 in economy, which includes 16 Main Cabin Extra seats. Simple Flying has reached out to PSA Airlines for comment on this incident and will update this story accordingly.

As seen in this incident, damage to an aircraft’s radome is a serious safety concern that will necessitate a diversion and landing at the earliest opportunity. Radome damage can often occur during bird strikes, which typically leave large dents in the nose after impact. There have been other unusual incidents down the years, too — a notable recent occurrence in October 2025 saw a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 strike a high-altitude weather balloon at 36,000 feet, cracking its windshield and injuring a pilot.

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Foreign Object Debris Threat

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Foreign object debris on runways is treated as a serious safety threat, with even the smallest object capable of inflicting catastrophic damage to an aircraft. This is particularly true when an aircraft is operating at high speeds, such as during its takeoff roll or immediately after landing.

For example, the tragic crash of Air France Flight 4590 in July 2000 was caused by debris on the runway. A small titanium strip had fallen off a Continental Airlines DC-10 that had taken off moments earlier. Subsequently, when the Concorde was taking off, the metal strip shredded its tyre, with the fallout ultimately ruprturing a fuel tank, leading to the aircraft’s fiery crash moments later.