An American Airlines flight nearly crashed into a mountain range in Hawaii but avoided disaster by quickly gaining altitude.
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Flight 298, en route to Los Angeles, had just departed from Honolulu at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when the air traffic controller instructed the crew to “expedite your climb,” signaling the need for a rapid ascent to ensure safety, per audio shared on the website LiveATC.
“Number 298 turn right, expedite your climb through terrain, and then turn right,” the traffic controller urged, per audio cited by hawaiinewsnow.com.
Officials stated that the significant elevation gain, which occurred after the pilot failed to execute a turn post-takeoff, likely averted a collision with the Koʻolau mountain range on the island of Oʻahu.
American Airlines Said ‘There Were No Issues with Terrain Clearance Based on the Trajectory of the Aircraft’
The sudden altitude increase occurred after the crew failed to execute the assigned turn while departing from Honolulu International Airport, according to an FAA official who spoke to NBC News.
“[The] crew of American Airlines flight 298 requested and received right-turn clearance and complied with controller instructions,” an American Airlines statement said.
“There were no issues with terrain clearance based on the trajectory of the aircraft,” the airline added.
Meanwhile, the American Airlines ticketing area at Miami International Airport recently experienced an unexpected arrival earlier this week. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to a 911 call after a woman went into labor in the American Airlines ticketing area, where she later gave birth.
An airport employee reported that they believed the woman was in transit between flights when her water broke.
Helen Avendano, a spokesperson for Fire Rescue, stated that when medics arrived on the scene, they found Miami-Dade Police Department officers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, and staff from the Miami-Dade Airport Division assisting the woman.
“We got a boy!” exclaimed one witness upon the child’s arrival, as noted in the 911 call. The dispatcher then relayed this information to the ambulance on its way, which confirmed it would arrive at the scene in seven minutes.
Paramedics swiftly transported the mother and son to the hospital. Currently, no additional updates are available regarding their condition.
However, births at Miami-Dade Airport have happened before…
In 2021, an expectant mother also gave birth to her daughter in an airport bathroom, choosing the name “Mia” to honor that unique experience.