An American Airlines flight narrowly avoided crashing into a mountain during a trip over Hawaii.
Authorities are investigating the incident after flight AA298 took off from Honolulu International Airport on Wednesday morning and had to climb over Kōnāhuanui.
The Airbus A321neo bound for Los Angeles had to leave the mountaintop after being told by air traffic control to accelerate sharply.
This is what aviation news reports Easy flyingthe plane taxied for 14 minutes and flew towards the mountain range.
Two minutes after takeoff, the plane was at an altitude of 2,900 feet and flying east to the south of the summit, which has an altitude of 3,150 feet.
Three minutes later, the plane had managed to reach an altitude of 1,500 meters and was climbing rapidly, the newspaper said.
The aircraft was then turned to the right and flew southwest over another mountain, which is considerably lower.
You hear an air traffic controller tell the pilot this via audio LiveATC to ‘turn right and accelerate your climb through the terrain’.
The Los Angeles-bound Airbus A321neo had to leave the mountaintop after air traffic control instructed it to accelerate hard
Two minutes after takeoff, the plane was at an altitude of 2,900 feet and flying east to the south of the summit, seen here, which has an altitude of 3,150 feet.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said: “An air traffic controller instructed American Airlines Flight 298 to perform an accelerated climb after the crew failed to make the assigned turn upon departure from Honolulu International Airport.
“The controller’s actions ensured that the aircraft remained safely over nearby terrain.”
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 permission to turn right and complied with the controller’s instructions.
“There was no warning from the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) as there were no terrain clearance issues based on the aircraft’s trajectory.”
It comes after two passenger planes nearly collided over New York in July, prompting an investigation.
The Delta Connection flight, carrying 80 people, took off from Syracuse Hancock Airport at the same time an American Eagle plane landed.
Police footage of the incident shows the Delta plane climbing through the air as the other plane descends toward the runway.
According to aviation news outlet Simple Flying, the plane taxied for 14 minutes and flew toward the mountain range. The runway at the airport can be seen here
The FAA subsequently blamed an air traffic controller for the incident, saying it was caused by a “performance issue.”
But the planes appear to be much closer together than necessary before they can cross safely.
The video shows the Delta Connection flight gaining speed as it gains altitude before the other plane comes into view.
The American Eagle plane descends as it approaches the runway, but the two planes cross and narrowly avoid each other.
According to FlightRadar24, they came within about 300 meters of each other vertically.
The FAA subsequently blamed an air traffic controller for the incident, saying, “The investigation determined that the incident was caused by an air traffic controller performance issue and was addressed through our standard processes.”