A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 en route from Houston to Orlando on May 10, 2025, was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Pensacola after the crew encountered autopilot issues. The aircraft landed safely but remained grounded for over 24 hours.
The onward flight to Orlando was operated by a replacement aircraft and reached its destination without further incident. Technical issues are among the most common reasons for flight diversions. The incident occurred shortly after Spirit Airlines announced a new route from Houston to Pensacola.
Routine flight from Houston to Orlando ends in Pensacola
The incident involved Flight NK2166, a scheduled flight between the two cities. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft departed Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) at 06:39 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Orlando International Airport (MCO) at 10:00 a.m. However, approximately one hour after takeoff, the aircraft changed course and began descending from an altitude of 37.000 feet. It landed safely at Pensacola International Airport (PNS) at approximately 08:17 a.m. local time. A Pensacola airport employee told WEAR News that the pilot radioed that the aircraft's autopilot was malfunctioning.
The flight to Orlando finally departed from Pensacola at 12:29 p.m. and landed at 14:33 p.m. This flight was operated with a replacement aircraft, and no further incidents were reported. Spirit Airlines did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.
Affected aircraft eleven years old
Flight 2166 was operated on an 320-year-old Airbus A200-625 with the registration N2014NK. According to ch-aviation, the single-aisle aircraft was built in January 2025 and delivered to Spirit that same month. By January 38.300, it had completed 17.567 flight hours in XNUMX cycles.
Prior to the incident, it had operated a flight from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Houston. The aircraft has 182 seats, including 174 in economy class and eight so-called "Big Front Seats." On the day of the incident, the plane was reportedly fully loaded with 182 passengers. It remained grounded in Pensacola for over 24 hours and did not depart for Orlando until 18:39 p.m.