The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating an early Wednesday incident in Honolulu. According to initial reports, an American Airlines Airbus A321neo failed to turn correctly, putting the jet close to nearby terrain.
American flight 298 was operating from Honolulu to Los Angeles when the crew requested runway 8L for departure. Air traffic control approved the request, and the flight departed an hour behind schedule at around 1 a.m. local time.
Departures from Honolulu’s runway 8L require an immediate right turn to avoid mountainous terrain just east of the airport. Flight 298 continued straight, failing to make the customary turn.
first opinion:
“Departing 8L is fairly rare, yes the SID does call for an immediate right turn to avoid terrain
So obviously a mistake on the crews part
Can’t speak to how close the terrain was but if the controller is giving them a turn to avoid it I can imagine a GPWS…— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) November 14, 2024
The air traffic controller – who was managing around four different frequencies at the time – instructed the crew to expedite the aircraft’s climb and begin the right turn. Per Flightradar24 ADS-B data, the A321neo was already above the mountains when the instruction was given.
“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,” an FAA spokesperson told AirlineGeeks in a statement. “The controller’s actions ensured the aircraft remained safely above nearby terrain.”
The aircraft landed safely in Los Angeles nearly five hours later.
One passenger told The Aviation Herald: “Upon leaving HNL, the flight took off on rwy 8L which is very unusual. Instead of immediately turning right after takeoff the flight continued in a straight line headed right for the Koolau Mountains and then appeared to barely miss the mountains and turned right to go out over the ocean.”
“In person, the plane sounded like they had it at 100% trying to get away from the mountains,” the passenger said.
ADS-B data shows the aircraft passed approximately 1,400 feet over the terrain.
“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority. 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. 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,” an American spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 at 11:56 a.m. ET to add a statement from American.
