On October 28, 2016, the Boeing 767-300ER operating the flight (registered N345AN) was accelerating for takeoff on runway 28R when the aircraft's right engine suffered an uncontained failure that led to a severe fire.

The disk separated into two pieces, the smaller of which pierced the wing's fuel tank and then flew 2,935 feet (895 m), falling through the roof of a United Parcel Service (UPS) facility and coming to rest on the building's floor.

[6] The aircraft, a 13-year-old Boeing 767-323(ER)[a] powered by two General Electric CF6-80C2B6 engines, registration number N345AN, was delivered to American Airlines in 2003.

[11] In July 2017, GE Aviation issued a Service Bulletin recommending that airlines perform regular inspections of first- and second-stage disks of all CF6 engines built before 2000.

[12] On January 30, 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its final report on the accident involving American 383.

The NTSB made several safety recommendations as a result, not only with regards to the engine and aircraft but also to issues raised by the evacuation.

Although the CF6 had been the subject of multiple Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directives, they had not focused on the larger, relatively slower Stage 1 disks at the front of the engine, made with a nickel alloy.

As a result, a passenger evacuating using the left overwing exit was the only person seriously injured after being knocked to the ground by exhaust from the still-operating engine.

In addition, the checklist provided to the pilots called for discharge of only one of the two fire extinguisher bottles in the affected engine, followed by a wait of 30 seconds to judge its effectiveness; however, other checklists specific to ground operations call for immediate use of both bottles in order to create a safer environment for evacuation of the aircraft.

The Board also called for research into countermeasures against passengers evacuating with carry-on luggage despite being specifically instructed not to do so by crew.