American Airlines flight avoids mountains with ‘rapid climb’
1 min read

American Airlines flight avoids mountains with ‘rapid climb’

Greg Bajor/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) – An American Airlines flight had to “perform a rapid climb” to avoid a mountain during a routine departure from Hawaii on Wednesday.

The plane had just departed from Honolulu International Airport and was on its way to Los Angeles International Airport.

Air traffic controllers can be heard telling the pilot to “turn right and accelerate your climb through terrain” on audio from the flight provided by LIVEATC.NET.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, “An air traffic controller instructed American Airlines Flight 298 to perform an accelerated climb after the crew failed to make the assigned turn while departing from Honolulu International Airport.”

The FAA statement continued: “The controller’s actions ensured that the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain.”

“The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority,” American Airlines said in a statement.

“During the climb out of Honolulu on November 13, the crew of American Airlines flight 298 requested and received right turn clearance and followed the air traffic controller’s instructions. There was no Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) warning as there were no terrain clearance issues based on the aircraft’s trajectory” , the statement continued.

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The FAA will continue to investigate.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.