An American Airlines flight avoided colliding with a Hawaii mountain range, narrowly averting disaster.
Flight 298 took off from Honolulu International Airport just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday en route to Los Angeles. However, the pilots didn’t take the correct turn while taking off, the Federal Aviation Administration said. This put them on a path toward Hawaii’s Koʻolau mountain range, CNN reports.
This meant the crew had to perform an “expedited climb” at the direction of air traffic control to fly above the mountain range.
“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 FAA said in a statement. “The controller’s actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain.”
An American Airlines spokesperson told CNN that the crew “complied with controller instructions.”
The spokesperson also noted that the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, which alerts an aircraft’s crew to a potential collision, did not go off during the incident.
The FAA is now investigating the incident.The Independent has contacted American Airlines for comment.
American Airlines made headlines in recent weeks as they began testing a new system to prevent line-cutting while boarding. The airline is using a new technology to detect a passenger’s zone when they scan their ticket. The airline has been testing the program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Tuscon, Arizona, The Independent reported.
“We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process,” an American Airlines spokesperson previously told The Independent. “The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team.”