In This Story
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call involving an American Airlines (AAL) flight. The plane came scarily close to hitting a mountain while it was flying out from the largest airport in Hawaii.
“An air traffic controller instructed American Airlines Flight 298 to perform an expedited climb after the crew did not make the assigned turn while departing from Honolulu International Airport,” the agency said. “The controller’s actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain. The Airbus (AIR) A321neo was flying to Los Angeles International Airport.”
One detail that likely made the situation even more bewildering for passengers onboard was that the incident happened at 1:00 a.m. local time.
American did not immediately respond to a Quartz request for comment, however it did release a statement to CNN that says the aircraft’s crew did what it was supposed to do.
“During the climb out of Honolulu on November 13, the crew of American Airlines flight 298 requested and received right-turn clearance and complied with controller instructions,” adding that “there was no Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) alert as there were no issues with terrain clearance based on the trajectory of the aircraft.”