JUST MISSED IT

American Airlines Plane Narrowly Avoids Mountain Crash

Flight AA298 avoided disaster on Wednesday at around 1 a.m. local time.

While flying over Hawaii, an American Airlines flight narrowly avoided colliding with a mountain peak in Honolulu.

Flight AA298 avoided disaster on Wednesday at around 1 a.m. local time after departing from Honolulu International Airport.

The Los Angeles-bound plane faced a steep climb over Kōnāhuanui, two mountain peaks in Honolulu County. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

According to Simple Flying, the Airbus A321neo took an “unusual takeoff path.” “Rather than making an immediate right turn upon departure, the crew missed instructions and flew the aircraft straight out east.”

The publication said that just two minutes after taking off, the plane was at 2,900 feet. The elevation of the mountain peak is 3,150 feet.

The FAA told Simple Flying that the crew did not follow air traffic controller directions to make an assigned turn.

“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 told Simply Flying. “The controller’s actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain.”

After pilots expedited the climb, the plane flew safely over the mountains.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Amethyst MartinezBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.